About The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation
Villanova Head Football Coach Andy Talley started his non-profit foundation in 2010. However, Coach Talley’s involvement in bone marrow donor testing began nearly two decades earlier in the fall of 1992 after becoming aware of the devastating odds facing those in need of bone marrow transplants. Each year, 10,000 patients, diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma, are in need of a bone marrow transplant, yet only half receive one. The chances of finding a matched, available donor are as low as 66% for some patients; 70% of patients have no suitable donor in their family. With access to ninety young, healthy football players, Coach Talley began his mission to educate and promote awareness about the importance of bone marrow donor registration by holding his first on-campus testing in the Jake Nevin field house at Villanova University. Coach Talley and his team registered over 200 student athletes and coaching staff from the Villanova University community that fall.