Students at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina are rolling up their sleeves for the annual Blood Bowl, taking place Nov. 18-22, 2019.
This year marks the 35th time Clemson and USC will compete to see which university can get the most people to donate blood (and save the most lives).
The first-ever Clemson-USC Blood Drive Competition, now called Blood Bowl, was held in 1985. It was the idea of Barbara Cartwright of the Footh Blood Center, now the AnMed Blood Center. She knew about similar competitions around the the country (Pitt-WVU, OSU-Michigan) and thought the same concept could work for CU-USC.
Barbara proposed the idea to the Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega. Alpha Phi Omega Brothers took the idea to Clemson University President Walter T. Cox. He loved the idea and asked Gamma Lambda to take the lead. Barbara and her counterpart at the Columbia Red Cross worked out the technical details and USC’s Fraternity and Sorority Council agreed to sponsor the competition at USC.
The Blood Bowl is now the largest blood drive in the state and one of the largest of its kind in the nation.
For locations and to make an appointment, please visit cubloodbowl.wixsite.com or sc.edu.