The Brooklyn high-school athletic director who drew national headlines for having a heart attack and being shocked back to life during his school’s football playoff game in November is healthy and back at work.
Marshall Tames, 67, returned to his duties at Erasmus Hall after the holidays and has received a clean bill of health in a speedy recuperation that has even his doctors impressed.
“It is a rare case for someone to recover that fast,” said Dr. Mohammed Butt, who cared for Tames at Shorefront Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care in Coney Island.
Butt said his patient was fortunate. Tames keeled over while doing the public-address announcing for Erasmus Hall’s second-round PSAL playoff game against Clinton at Midwood Athletic Complex. Those around him were lightning-quick to react.
Midwood assistant coach Chris Miccio, who was working the scoreboard next to him, began CPR and two doctors present — Erasmus team physician Ed Golembe and game doctor Gene Tekmyster — brought him back to consciousness with a defibrillator, the shouts of “clear!” heard throughout the stadium on the PA system.
Tames, who had no history of heart ailments, was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center, where triple bypass surgery was performed the next morning. Within four days, he was at Shorefront for rehab.
Tames, who coached football at Midwood for 36 years, has lost 30 pounds and has improved his diet drastically. He still gets a blood test every week. He is on medication and is dealing with gangrene on his toes. But he is in good spirits and back to work, though taken aback by all the attention.
“I couldn’t get it when I coached football at Midwood, but I get it for something like this,” Tames said. “I think that’s pretty funny.”
