Clemson wins Blood Bowl for 5th straight year

For the past week leading up to the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry football game, blood donation trucks have been scattered around Clemon’s and South Carolina’s campuses to see which school could collect the most donations. And after a week of “bloody” competition, the results are in.

Clemson has secured the win over Carolina in the 39th annual Blood Bowl. The Tigers totaled a record-breaking 4,671 blood donations, which is estimated to save over 14,000 lives, according to the CU Blood Bowl Instagram account.

The Tigers are now on a five-year winning streak, as the trophy has not been hoisted by the Gamecocks since 2017, and no winner was named in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clemson leaders encouraged students to donate, not just to beat South Carolina but to save lives.

“In the spirit of the rivalry and this great Clemson tradition, I encourage you to donate,” President Jim Clements said in a CU Blood Bowl Instagram post. “There is no better way to represent Clemsen while saving lives.”

“Your donation can give a patient in need something extra to be grateful for this year,” head coach Dabo Swinney said in another CU Blood Bowl Instagram post. “Thank you, go Tigers and beat Carolina.”

Although the rivalry between Clemson and Carolina is strong, the ultimate goal of the Blood Bowl is to give blood to those in need and ultimately save lives.

Since 1985, including this year’s donations, the Clemson-Carolina Blood Bowl has impacted more than 500,000 lives, according to Clements.