Rep. Pete King Salutes QB Terry Hanratty Beating COVID-19

Former Notre Dame national champion quarterback and Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champ, Terry Hanratty, 72, has recovered from the coronavirus, earning a salute from Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., on Facebook.

Notably, Hanratty's treatment did not include use of a ventilator.

"In the midst of the coronavirus suffering and tragedy there are good stories," King wrote about Hanratty, an All-American Notre Dame quarterback who led the Fighting Irish to the 1966 National Championship and won two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers. 

King noted that Hanratty overcame a serious case of COVID-19, being hospitalized but fortunately avoiding going on a ventilator, which has been critiqued by doctors as a dangerous treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

"Last month Terry was rushed to Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut suffering from double pneumonia and the coronavirus," King wrote. "His oxygen level had fallen to dangerous levels and his family and friends were concerned, particularly since Terry had been a heavy smoker. Fortunately Terry was able to be released after six days but he was so weak that EMTs had to carry him up the front steps of his home where he had to remain quarantined.

"He told me though that he had never gone through anything like COVID-19," King added. "For days it seemed like every part of his body was affected.

"Looking back on it, Terry thinks it was fortunate that the doctors opted not to put him on a ventilator. He gives great credit to his daughter who convinced him to stop smoking three years ago. The doctors said that enabled him to survive."

Hanratty has been a close friend for years, including a political supporter, King wrote.

"It is great that Terry is back and on the road to full recovery strengthened by his fighting spirit, good doctors and the luck of the Fighting Irish!!" King concluded.

• Doctors Finding Effective Alternatives to Ventilators
• How COVID-19 Affects to the Brain