For the 20th season of NFL PLAY 60, 13 NFL club mascots are serving as Mascot Ambassadors to encourage children to be active and support both mental and physical health. Buffalo Bills’ Billy Buffalo is named among the 2026 ambassadors. The mascot class will promote daily movement and school-year activities that emphasize healthy habit choices and team spirit.
NFL PLAY 60 is rooted in the American Heart Association’s physical activity guidance and supports the recommendation that students achieve a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. The program highlights several evidence-based benefits for active students, including improved learning, greater focus, clearer thinking, calmer reactions to stress and better classroom performance and behavior.
The 2026 NFL PLAY 60 mascot ambassadors are:
These mascots will lend recognizable, community-rooted characters to NFL PLAY 60 activities and help bring a game-day atmosphere to school and local events.
Since 2006 the NFL and the American Heart Association have collaborated to inspire children to be physically active through accessible, engaging programs. Over 20 seasons, NFL PLAY 60 has sought to reduce sedentary behavior among youth and support immediate and long-term health benefits. The partnership has evolved over time to better address the real-time needs of kids across NFL markets and beyond.
Mascot ambassadors will encourage movement throughout the school year by sharing exercise ideas, promoting healthy choices and building excitement with team spirit. Their involvement is designed to make physical activity approachable and fun for students, parents, teachers and caregivers.
NFL PLAY 60 works alongside the American Heart Association’s in-school programs, Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™, to offer resources for activity at school and home. The combined initiatives provide learning modules that address individual health, social skills such as being a good friend, community support activities and life-saving lessons, including Hands-Only CPR.
The NFL’s support of the Kids Heart Challenge includes an introduction video by Damar Hamlin, Nation of Lifesavers™ National Ambassador and Buffalo Bills safety and cardiac arrest survivor, to promote CPR instruction. Students who complete the Hands-Only CPR instruction earn an entry for two tickets to Super Bowl LXII on February 1, 2027, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Five individual winners will be drawn and five participating schools will receive $10,000 fitness equipment makeovers. Specifics on entry eligibility and complete program rules were provided by the campaign materials at the time of publication.
The NFL PLAY 60 Exercise Library hosts two-to-three minute on-demand exercise videos from each of the 32 NFL clubs. These short videos are intended for use when outdoor play is not possible due to weather, to help students refocus in the classroom, or to provide a quick fitness break that adds minutes toward the daily 60-minute activity goal. The library is intended as a practical resource for parents, teachers and caregivers.
Information on NFL PLAY 60 resources and participation in Kids Heart Challenge is available through the American Heart Association’s online portals. Parents and school administrators can visit the program pages to learn how students can participate in challenges such as Finn’s Mission and access family activity suggestions designed to increase daily movement and reduce sedentary time.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association describes itself as an organization working to advance a world of longer, healthier lives. It provides health information, funds research, advocates for public health and offers resources to improve cardiovascular health and stroke outcomes. The association supports programs such as NFL PLAY 60 and in-school challenges to help children build lifelong healthy habits.
About NFL PLAY 60
NFL PLAY 60 is the league’s national youth health and wellness platform. In its 20th season, the initiative aims to empower youth to be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day and partners with the NFL’s 32 clubs and other organizations to provide programs and resources that motivate children to move more and sit less.