Dunn Named Donor Recruiter Rookie of the Year

Feb 16, 2018

Head football coach Gary Dunn is recognized by the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation for the team's participation in "Get in the Game, Save a Life."

Gary Dunn

VILLANOVA, Pa. - California University of Pennsylvania head coach Gary Dunn was recently honored by The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation at the 2018 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Dunn received an award from the foundation's founder and recently retired Villanova head coach Andy Talley and the foundation's Executive Director Krista Ross as the 2017 Rookie of the Year with 434 donors registered.

The Cal U football program participated in the "Get in the Game, Save a Life" initiative, a partnership of the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation and Be The Match Foundation, for the first time in April 2017. Dunn helped garner support from student-athletes and staff of the Cal U athletic department, as well as members of the campus community.

"It was our first time and it was a real success," said Dunn, who is entering his third season as head coach. "Our student-athletes scoured the campus and recruited all over, bringing people to our booth at the student center."

The mission of the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, which raises awareness, funds and registers donors of the national Be The Match Registry, is to increase the odds of finding lifesaving donors for patients in need of a marrow transplant by registering young, committed donors to the Be The Match Registry. Talley has enlisted over 80 college football programs to participate in the "Get in the Game, Save a Life" initiative with each college football program hosting its own on-campus donor drives each spring.

Since 2008, the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation's "Get in the Game, Save a Life" registry drives have been responsible for adding over 84,000 potential donors. More importantly, there have been nearly 400 transplants that have occurred with the program's donors, giving those patients a second chance at life. To date, the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation has raised over $400,000 in support of the Be The Match program.