Campus News

UK Falls Short in Big Blue Slam Blood Donation Competition

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2020)  The University of Kentucky had its best day of the week last Friday in this year’s Big Blue Slam, but it wasn’t enough to beat the University of Florida in the blood donation competition.

UK came up eight donors short, losing the 12th annual Big Blue Slam to Florida, 1,237 to 1,229 donors. Kentucky Blood Center saw 331 donors roll up their sleeves for the event’s final day, while 246 Gator fans donated for Lifesouth Community Blood Center Friday.

Big Blue Slam is the annual blood battle between the Cats and the Gators to see which fans can donate the most blood. With its victory, Florida has tied the series at six wins for each blood center. Big Blue Slam helps to encourage blood donors when winter weather and flu season can hamper donations.

“Big Blue fans really came out strong on Friday,” Martha Osborne, vice president of marketing for the Kentucky Blood Center, said. “We came up short in this competition, but the real victory comes in the lives that will be saved by the blood collected this week. Thanks to everyone who came out this week to boost the blood supply for our communities.”

Celebrating more than 50 years of saving lives in Kentucky, KBC is the largest independent, full-service, nonprofit blood center in Kentucky. Licensed by the FDA, KBC’s sole purpose is to collect, process and distribute blood for patients in Kentucky. KBC provides services in 90 Kentucky counties and has donor centers in Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Somerset.

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.