Football | April 13, 2023

PHILADELPHIA – An crucial initiative to the University of Pennsylvania football team, the program will hold its 15th annual Be The Match Bone Marrow Drive on Tuesday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 
Penn, along with Villanova and Yale, are the only three schools that have participated in the drive all 15 years and will once again rally together on Tuesday.
 
The drive will take place in three locations—Houston Hall, Class of 1959 Plaza and Pottruck Center—on Penn's campus. The tip-off will be at the Class of 1959 Plaza (by the compass and Ben Franklin on the bench in the center of campus) at 10 a.m.
 
"Ourselves, Villanova and Yale are moving into our 15th year putting on this drive," said George A. Munger Head Coach Ray Priore. "We hope to get a lot of new folks involved and want to get it even bigger this year. This is something that the football team has been focused on over the years and we'd like to get the rest of the department involved this spring.
 
"It's an incredible program and super easy to do. People come down, get a cheek swab and then get put into a registry. Over the years, we've had over 24 people get selected just out of our drive. It's a tremendous way to make a difference in someone's else's life and their families."
 
The 'Get In The Game, Save A Life' campaign was started by longtime Villanova football head coach Andy Talley in 2008 through Be The Match and The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation.
 
Over 14 years, the Quakers have had 2,801 registrants and 24 donors including former Penn football student-athletes Sam Philippi and Anthony Lotti.
 
Philippi, a defensive back who was a team captain during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, went through the donation procedure after the 2016 football season. He was honored by the NFL with a ticket to Super Bowl LIV in Miami between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
 
"For me, it wasn't about me but instead spreading the awareness," Philippi said. "The more people who hear my story, the more likely they hopefully are to sign up for the Be the Match program."
 
The Penn Football program, guided by Coach Priore, has contributed to the success of the project started by Talley greatly over the years and only continues to do so in the years following.
 
"Ray has done a terrific job of getting other teams, friends of his who are coaches, to come and work with us and do drives with us every year," Talley said. "Penn has been terrific, Penn football in particular, and I know every year they are going to have a great drive and Coach Priore is the main man there who pushes it."
 
For more information regarding this initiative, visit BeTheMatch.org.