Penn State, Rutgers University part of Big Ten's multi-university campaign "The We Give Blood Drive"
Lagging blood donations could be getting a big boost from the Big Ten Conference. It's a different kind of competition. The school that gets the highest number of blood donations will win a $1 million prize.
The Big Ten mascots are cheering for more than just football. The conference is launching a new effort: "The We Give Blood Drive."
It's a nationwide donation competition for schools in the conference.
"Our student athletes get to compete against the best in the world in the United States," said Tony Petitti, Big Ten commissioner. "Now, we're giving them another opportunity to contribute and make a difference in other people's lives."
Penn State and Rutgers are among the 18 schools in the Big Ten. Anyone can donate on behalf of any school.
"We're not only going to build the next generation of blood donors, we're going to save lives," said Robert Ford, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Abbott.
Abbott, the health care company, is one of the largest organizations to process blood. It will give $1 million to the school that gets the most donations. The prize money is earmarked for campus health services.
"We're tapping the competitiveness of college football to entice students, alumni and fans to donate blood and hopefully propelling their school to win," said Ford. "We are truly leveraging the power of sports to help communities."
Tom Brady is joining forces with the Big Ten saying he's been a blood donor since his days at Michigan.
The competition will run for the football season now through Friday, Dec. 6.
"The donors win by contributing to an important cause and helping others, blood centers win by rebuilding their blood supplies and gaining new lifelong donors," said Ford.
The winning school will be announced at the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7.