Campus News

Kentucky Wins Big Blue Crush

logo that says 32nd Annual Big Blue Crush Blood Drive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 26, 2019)  University of Kentucky fans can claim a life-saving victory.

On Friday, the last day of the annual Big Blue Crush blood-donor battle, University of Kentucky fans closed out with an impressive 651 donations to the University of Tennessee’s 416, locking in a victory for UK.

Kentucky supporters’ final score of 2,894 donations for the Kentucky Blood Center outpaced Tennessee’s 1,999 for Medic Regional Blood Center in Knoxville. The winning total for Kentucky was the highest since 2014.

Kentucky now leads the rivalry 18 to 13 with one tie. Kentucky had won eight in a row, until Tennessee took the trophy in 2018. 

“Thanks to our generous blood donors who gave us a really strong finish, we’re bringing the trophy back to Kentucky,” said Martha Osborne, vice president of marketing for Kentucky Blood Center. “Thank you to everyone who came out to donate (last) week. Thanks to the Big Blue Crush, countless lives will be saved this holiday season.”

Osborne added that campus drives were “up tremendously” from past drives on campus.

“Every drive on campus did very well. We have seen good numbers at our donor centers, but if I had to say what the biggest difference was (this year), I’d point to the campus donors who came out and rolled up their sleeves,” she said.

Big Blue Crush ensures an adequate blood supply for the Thanksgiving holiday and into December.

Donors can still impact the holiday blood supply. To find a donation location or schedule an appointment, visit http://kybloodcenter.org or call 800-775-2522.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.