The Abbott Big Ten $1 Million Blood Drive is Back

Let's reclaim the title from Wisconsin.

Abbott Big Ten $1 MillionBlood Drive Nebraska T-shirt | Abbott Labs

The $1 million Abbott Big Ten Blood Drive is back for the third year.

Nebraska won the inaugural contest and led from start to finish in 2024. In 2025, they lost narrowly to Wisconsin by just 925 donations. It's time to win the rubber match.

The American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis and the Nebraska Community Blood Bank hitting its lowest supply since COVID-19. The University of Nebraska is launching its part in the We Give Blood drive — a nationwide competition among all 18 Big Ten schools to log the most blood donations, with a $1 million grant from Abbott on the line.

The contest officially starts on August 26th, but donations toward the competition start today (8/12/2026). The logging portal opens on August 26th so this presents an opportunity to get a jump start and have a lead the first day numbers are live. So anyone — student, alum, or fan, anywhere in the country — can donate now at any blood center or drive and bank a point for Nebraska by submitting it at BigTen.Org/Abbott or by texting GIVEBLOOD to 222688 after Aug. 26. The competition runs through Dec. 4 with the winner being announced at the Big Ten championship game.

In 2024 around 20,000 Big Ten students, alumni and fans across the country donated blood as part of the competition. With each donation saving up to three lives, the competition will help save as many as 60,000 lives.

Quick facts:

Nebraska finished second in 2025 with 14,551 donations, losing to Wisconsin by 925.

Nebraska led all schools in alumni donations (3,167) and had the highest share of donations from its own college town (32% from Lincoln).

2024’s $1 million supported projects on campus and across the state – such as mental health support for Nebraska veterans, an on-campus produce garden, and a full-time financial coach for students. Other initiatives include Healthy Nebraska grants and UNL Student Health.

Find a donation site via the Nebraska Community Blood Bank or the American Red Cross or Vitalant where you can get a $15 gift card if you donate before August 31st. Let's get a lead out of the gate and never give it up.

Be sure to remember that you cannot submit your donation until August 26th, so mark your calendar and send it in that morning so Nebraska can open with a big lead. Donate now and get the free T-shirt before they run out.

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