PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne football program spearheaded its annual Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry Drive on Wednesday, adding 523 new members to the registry.

Over the past two years, the Dukes, with the assistance of student-athletes from other athletic teams on campus, have recruited 1,300 new members as part of the drive.

This year's drive ran from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. at several locations on campus. The drive was part of the nationwide Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation's Get in the Game campaign, which is a recruitment program that utilizes the power of collegiate athletics to recruit marrow donors for the Be The Match Registry. With the support of over 80 college football teams, this nationwide endeavor has added over 84,000 donors thus far and is responsible for an astounding 489 transplants.

"I think it's a great event for our student-athletes to be part of," Duquesne head football coach Schmitt said. "It's really impactful and I thank Coach Talley for getting us involved nine years ago and we are really happy to be part of the entire organization."

The 2018 drive marked the ninth year in which the Dukes have hosted the event in association with the Andy Talley Foundation.

"By recruiting as many registrants as we can, it increases the odds because it is a challenge for individuals with a blood cancer to find matches," Schmitt said. "You have an opportunity to potentially help someone, to cure them and to save their life. That is really the goal here, to help save lives."

Earlier this year, after recruiting 777 new members to the registry in 2017, Duquesne was honored at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) by the foundation for being the nation's top recruiter among over 80 schools for the "Be the Match" registry drive in 2017.

"The honor should really go to the coaches, not only on my staff but here at Duquesne and all of the student-athletes that pitched in and helped with the event last year and over the years," Schmitt said. "They do a great job of getting the message out about this program and the foundation. The community here at Duquesne really steps up and does a great job."

To learn more about the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation CLICK HERE.