Former Villanova football coach Andy Talley continues to score big with bone-marrow donor program | Mike Kern

THIS IS where all the potential miracle stories get started.

For four hours Wednesday at Villanova's Jake Nevin Field House, young people from around campus and beyond came to register for Andy Talley's "Get in the Game, Save a Life" bone-marrow donor program. A quarter-century ago, the recently-retired Wildcats' football coach held his first drive there. And some 200 joined the fight. This time they hoped to put at least 500 more names on the list. And now there are 90 other schools doing the same thing to varying levels. Last year Talley's efforts got 12,000 more possibilities into the system, which has given a second chance to hundreds who were suffering from blood cancers and in need of a transplant.

How do you put a value on that?

"When you see how much time and work he puts into this, you want do as much as you can," said sophomore JP Radvany, a Villanova first baseman. "I know maybe his proudest moment was winning a national championship (in 2009), but this is huge part of his legacy."

Radvany said he was inspired by Matt Szczur, who was prepared to miss that title game to go through the final stage of the process, which because of other considerations he eventually did later and saved a toddler's life.

"For a guy like that to be willing to make that kind of sacrifice . . . " Radvany said. "I realize the odds are slim, but I can only imagine what it would feel like to do that for someone. This is a chance to give something back, maybe do something special."

Freshman Catherine Grondine belongs to a sorority that supports many philanthrophic endeavors. So she and many of her sisters showed up to do their part. A product of suburban Boston, she didn't know much about Talley or his foundation before. Didn't matter.

"All the older girls have done, and it's passed down," she said. "Who wouldn't want to make a difference? One of my good friends in high school was diagnosed with leukemia his senior year and went through several rounds of transplants. I just saw the effect it had on him and his whole family, and how grateful they were I know how much this means.

"I think the spirit of 'Nova is to give as much as you can."

Her classmate passed away last summer, a reminder that not every story has the right ending.

"My mom used to work for a blood center in New Jersey," said redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Schetelich. "She brought up marrow once in awhile, but I never really thought about it. I found out more when I got here. Coach Talley made it very clear that this is very important. When I heard that, it made it very important to me too.

"I do think about getting called. I think that would be awesome. Usually with marrow, it's like their last hope. I know some people you talk to are skeptical. Maybe they're scared. But compared to what the people that need help are going through, it's nothing."

It used to be you needed to give a blood sample. Now all it involves is a mouth swab. If you get called back, then you do have to deal with a needle in your arm. And if you get to the transplant part, the procedure to harvest the marrow is much less invasive than it once was.

And it could give someone years they otherwise might not have. What more does anyone need to compute? Still, it's an ongoing educational process. Minority donors are in demand, since they make up such a small percentage of the available pool. Cheyney coach Chris Rouhlac found that out when he brought a group of his players, and wound up speaking to representatives from the national "Be The Match" program about making this happen at his historically-Black institution. And Harriton High coach Justin Mellor had some of his seniors there to lend a hand and find out what it's like to get involved with a worthy cause.

"It's unbelievable, what gets done," Mellor said. "My kids tell people where to go, but it's good for them to see that students don't just sit in a dorm room. You have to be 18 to do it, but I'd like to get something going at our school with the parents. That could be a pretty powerful thing."

It already is. Talley, now in an administrative role at Villanova,  only wants it to get even more potent. Particularly since he has more time to devote to building the awareness, conveying the urgency and stressing the need.

I registered over two decades ago. At one point I got called back for a second test. Now I'm too old to be a donor. In 2011 my cousin was taken from us by leukemia because they couldn't find a donor in time.

If possible, no family should ever have to face that reality. We can only dream.

"I remember we used to have phlebotomists, women who took the blood," Talley said. "They needed two viles. We would invariably have four or five people faint, so I spent half my time reviving them, giving them a drink to get them feeling better. A lot of local teams were with us early, like West Chester and Widener. The plan in my mind was to always grow it. I want to get every team in the country . . . Temple just did 500 with a new coach (Geoff Collins). Tremendous."

Talley's last game was a 10-7 loss at South Dakota State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Yet some good did come out of the trip.

"Right after I said, 'You know what, congrats, but now I got you,' " is how Talley recalled his midfield handshake with counterpart John Stiegelmeier. "I told him about our drive as we were walking off. I figure I had to get something out of it, and he committed. They're doing theirs today. I wonder how they're doing . . .

"It's something that's become attached to my name. And it's really outdistancing the fact that I was the head football coach at Villanova (for 32 seasons). I think that's a good thing."

One might get him in the Hall of Fame. The other might get him past St. Peter.

To learn more or to join the Be The Match Registry online, visit join.bethematch.org.

kernm@phillynews.com

@mikekerndn