RIO GRANDE VALLEY – In football, impact plays can happen in an instant and completely change the course of a game. In life, a seemingly simple interaction can do the same. 
 
Two members of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team experienced that first-hand during the inaugural season. One October day, Connor Carrigan and Jordan Ford were walking through the library after class when they crossed paths with Leticia Mondragon as she tabled for the National Marrow Donor Program. 
 
Mondragon, an account manager for NMDP, told them about the organization and its mission. NMDP, formerly known as Be The Match, is a global nonprofit organization which helps to save the lives of patients with blood cancers and disorders through cell therapy. The organization registers potential donors ranging from 18 to 35 years old who can be matched to patients in need through ethnic backgrounds and covers all costs when a match is made and someone donates blood stem cells. 
 
Mondragon told Carrigan and Ford about a program called Get in the Game, which allows athletic teams to partner with NMDP and host registration events. The Vaqueros felt called to help and got Mondragon's business card, saying they'd tell their coaches about the organization. 
 
"We meet people every day, but these two players, I really want to thank them because they're the ones that actually pushed this. There's many times that we'll make a connection with an athlete, we'll give them a business card, and they won't follow through. But [Carrigan and Ford] went a step beyond and talked to their coach about it, and here we are. You have no idea how it touches my heart," Mondragon said. 
 
The Vaqueros duo talked to director of football operations & administration John Simmons and before long, a meeting was set up. Next, NMDP held a training with the football student-athletes to educate them on what the organization does and what their role would be at a team-hosted event. 
 
For two days in February, UTRGV football players tabled in front of the student union and recruited folks to get on the donor registry. Several Vaqueros signed up, too. 
 
The team's event resulted in 252 additions to the donor registration – which Mondragon said is the most of any Get in the Game event held in collaboration with a football team. In July, UTRGV's registration efforts resulted in a donor. 
 
"It was just a random weekday, and it turned into something way bigger than us. I'm proud that we can say we found a match for somebody," Carrigan said. "It makes you realize there's always somebody going through something bigger than you. It's a big blessing knowing that we found a match and that's going to help save a life. I can always be grateful to wake up every morning knowing that I'm doing something for the community." 
 
Serving the community is not new to the Vaqueros. In May, UTRGV Athletics was ranked 10^th in the nation among Div. I athletic departments for community service hours recorded in the 2025-26 athletic year. The Vaqueros racked up 6,604 hours of service collectively. Football accounted for 1,251.8 community service hours. 
 
"We're just showing that it's bigger than football and that's what UTRGV football is about. We're here to help people. We got this community. They support us, and we support them also," Ford said. 
 
NMDP treated the Vaqueros with a Kona Ice truck after Friday's practice to thank the team for going above and beyond to help the mission. The team was told in the post-practice huddle that their February event led to a life-saving donation, and Ford said it made his day to know they made a difference. 
 
Mondragon has been working with NMDP across south Texas for over nine years. She was blown away by the impact UTRGV football has made on the organization and the community, and the goodness the student-athletes radiate in every interaction. It was special for the UTRGV NMDP crew to provide Kona Ice as "a small token of appreciation" for the Vaqueros to help them cool off after practice. 
 
"This is the fastest turnaround we've ever seen from this campus, and it's an incredible reminder of the impact a single event can have," Mondragon said. "On behalf of NMDP, our South Texas team, and our patients and their families, we want to thank The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, coach Travis Bush, John Simmons, and of course the football team. It means so much to me that students want to become a part of this mission, especially football players. They're role models on campus and in the community. It really meant a lot for us that they stepped in and really wanted to help us." 

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