Often times head coaches are still overlooked in the marketing mix. The biggest of the big; Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh, find themselves in to campaigns, bit for the lost part; save for local sponsorships; coaches, usually the most consistent face and the best storytellers around many programs, are an afterthought.
However when you see the marketing and driving power coaches can have for causes, one wonders why they aren’t more involved in the mix. The latest case in point involves the simplest of awareness programs, the swab for Bone Marrow matches, and head college coaches like Villanova’s Andy Talley, the only head coach the Wildcats have had since bringing football back to The Mainline.
Talley has helped rally over 60 coaches and thousands of college players to be part of the National Marrow Donor Program, and their “Be The Match” initiative. It is something the longtime Wildcat mentor has worked on since the early 1990’s and it grows and helps save lives each year.
Over the past half-decade, Be The Match pairs directly with participating college football programs, footing the bill for $100 fee per cheek swab collected. The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation in turn helps through fundraising and recruitment, especially with young men between the ages of 20-23 being the prime audience, and all it takes is a simple swab. The need is especially important for African American’s, and this year the program has expanded to include many HBCU programs, who can help spread the word way beyond just the football program and across college campuses. Thus far there have been several success stories coming off the matches, including one documented on the Football Matters blog about Colorado’s Derek McCartney.
There is no way to know who will match until the need comes through, but football, and some key head coaches, leading the call to action will certainly help grow the database, and once again show how coaches, as the leaders and teachers on campus, can help move the needle well beyond the court or the gridiron.
Another lesson to learn not just for charities, but for brands looking for their own entrée into the fast growing business of college sports. The choice is not for everyone, but looking to the top for brand ambassadors is sometimes a smart, and overlooked, option.
