The San Diego Chargers are no stranger to giving back to its fan base and community. Partnering with the San Diego Blood Bank, the franchise continued one of its most storied traditions of the season on Tuesday, kicking off Chargers Blood Drive XXXVI.
Presented by The San Diego Credit Union, The daylong event was held at the Town & Country Convention Center in Mission Valley. Besides making a difference in someone’s life, donors and participants were treated to food, refreshments, entertainment and the opportunity to receive autographs from Chargers players and Charger Girls. Additionally, attendees got to experience an expanded “Wellness Zone” that contained a special walk-through exhibit of the human heart and participants got to learn how a blood sample is used for clinical research.
“This is the 36th year of this event, and I was just thinking back how I’ve been to 31 of these blood drives”, said Chargers President Dean Spanos. “It’s very special to me because this is not just about the Chargers; this is about the community and the fans. Even if they are not Chargers fans, people are coming out and donating. This is about the city of San Diego, the good people of San Diego and all that they do.” (Henne)
The origin of the blood drive began in 1979, when former Chargers placekicker Rolf Benirschke developed ulcerative colitis. The condition required two surgeries to remove his large intestine and required approximately 80 pints of blood. Chargers team officials contacted the San Diego Blood Bank and requested donation collections, and the following day, approximately 1,000 fans were in attendance at the stadium and nearly 300 pints of blood were donated.
For this special day of the city, Charger players jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this historical event, as nearly the entire team was in attendance signing autographs, taking pictures and meeting and greeting donors and guests alike.
“One person donating can save three people’s lives,” said Chargers kicker Nick Novak. “Every year thousands of people show up. This is the largest Blood Drive in California, so the best part about it is talking to the people donating. They are the true heroes who take time out of the day at such a critical time of year. This is a really important event to make sure our blood banks are full.” (Henne)
Since its inception thirty-six years ago, The Chargers Blood Drive has become more than just a centralized city event. Collecting more than 73,000 pints of blood and helping over 200,000 people, the event was awarded a world record as the world’s largest one day, single location blood drive in 1993. As it has continued to grow through the years, the event has come to be recognized as one of the biggest annual blood drives in the country.
