The Carolina Blood Drive collected 976 units of blood that will help save lives throughout the area, said Caroline Allison of the American Red Cross Carolinas Region, which sponsors the drive with UNC.
The number of donors attending was 928; there were at least 115 double red-cell donors. Last year, 966 units were collected.
The tally failed to break Appalachian State University’s record for the largest single-day, single-site blood drive in North Carolina, set last fall with 1,060 units collected. Until then, the Tar Heels held the record with 1,052 pints collected in 1993.
“American Idol†contestant Anoop Desai, a UNC alumnus, visited the event at the Dean E. Smith Center in the afternoon, thanking donors and signing autographs.