On Friday, we told you about an effort to raise funds to purchase Steve Boda’s extensive collection of Notre Dame football statistics and donate it to the university.
This evening, I’ve suspended our fundraising drive. Now I want to explain why.
I’ve been in daily contact with Ron Brown, the man who purchased Mr. Boda’s collection on consignment and was selling it through eBay. There was a buyer through that auction, but Ron was initially skeptical he was legitimate. When the buyer missed his scheduled phone call with Ron, that concern seemed founded.
Ron subsequently received a text message Monday from the buyer saying his secretary would be contacting him on Tuesday. Ron relayed the conversation to me Tuesday: “I spoke with him today and he says I will have payment by the end of this week…seems like a right person…”
Ron has been a responsive seller and a straight shooter. If he says he believes this buyer is legitimate, I have no reason to doubt it.
The fundraising effort was scheduled to end around 10 a.m. on Thursday. I don’t believe anything will change with the buyer and the seller by that point, and it’s most important to me that no one’s credit card is charged for this effort. I want to thank each and every one of the 132 people who pledged a combined $7,225 toward our effort. Your enthusiasm for this initiative helped keep me motivated to make the outreach and spread the word. I want to thank all of my Twitter friends who dutifully re-tweeted my updates to spread the word. Your kindness did not go unnoticed.
I also want to specifically thank four individuals: First, to Joshua Lee (@Notre_Josh), who originally inspired me to create the GoFundMe page and served as its greatest cheerleader. Second, to Jonathan Jensen (@jajensen23), who took it upon himself to start tweeting at people he thought may be interested in the campaign. Third, to Dave Winters – a former colleague of mine at the Watertown Daily Times – who was inspired by my Facebook post and started contacting journalists and fan sites to alert them to our progress. Finally, to Ryan (@HLS_NDtex) who served as able counsel as I relayed the highs and lows of this effort.
For those intimidated by this wall of text, here’s a quick Q&A:
Did my card get charged?
No. I began an “all-or-nothing” campaign, which did not charge anyone’s card until we met our $12,209 goal. We did not meet that goal before the fundraiser was ended.
Who is the buyer? What does he want with the collection?
I don’t know who he is, other than he’s a man. I don’t know what he’s going to do with the collection and Ron hasn’t inquired either to my knowledge.
I thought the Boda collection was willed to Notre Dame. Why is someone selling it?
The short answer is: There was an understanding between Mr. Boda and the university, but circumstances changed. No will has surfaced, to anyone’s knowledge.
Then why didn’t Notre Dame just buy it? They have a $8 or $9 billion endowment.
I don’t speak for the university, so I have no official answer. I will say this, however: From talking to people who had an interest in this collection – both within the university and separate from it – there was a consensus among all that the asking price exceeded the actual value of the collection. Simply put: It wasn’t a great investment.
Did Notre Dame support what you were doing?
Officially, no one offered support or rebuke. Unofficially, I talked to two individuals who would have helped me ensure the collection would make it to the Archives. They were both aware of the campaign and supportive of our effort.
Is there anything we can do to meet our goal of securing the collection and donating it to the Archives?
No. But I encourage you to take what you were going to pledge and consider donating it to Savin’ Aven. And don’t forget to vote for Coach Parseghian’s charity!
If you have additional questions, tweet at me or leave a comment below. Thanks!
Notre Dame graduate, class of '02 (the Davie years!). A former newspaper and TV reporter, andrewwinn is now professionally involved in something far less fun to discuss than college football. A dad, a husband and a wannabe data nerd.
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