The decision by several generous Gator Boosters Inc. donors to give despite the uncertainty unique circumstances (and uncertainty) clouding the the 2020-21 athletic calendar will go a ways toward maintaining the student-athlete for experience for basketball star Keyontae Johnson and his UF brothers and sisters.
$tepping Up in Time of Need
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 | General, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Chris Bryan was 10 years old when her father took her to their first Florida-Georgia game together. That was 65 years ago.
She was hooked.
When the series took a wicked swing in favor of the Bulldogs a couple decades later, Bryan remained steadfast in her love and support of the Gators. She wondered, though, if the roles would ever be reversed?
"My daddy would talk to me about peaks and valleys," Bryan recalled. "He always said our time would come."
When Steve Spurrier returned to coach his alma mater in 1990, those peaks came. When Urban Meyer roamed the sidelines in the 2000s, they came again. Chris Bryan as a 10-year-old with her father (left) and as Gator Boosters president in 2008-09 (right)
Yes, Georgia has won the last three meetings in the storied rivalry, but these are different kinds of valleys that college football — and the world — are currently trying to navigate. Uncharted, uncertain and unfortunate trails are being blazed, and Bryan, a longtime UF donor and former Gator Booster president, not only understands but appreciates the unique hardships involved.
And she's doing something about it.
Bryan, 75, is among a handful of donors who have generously foregone the option of re-allocating their annual fees and, instead, told Gator Boosters, Inc., to put their money to use in whatever capacity is needed now.
Football or no football.
"I've given money every year for I don't know how many years," said Bryan, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., who was president of Gator Boosters in 2008-09. "In this case, it's not like I'm losing that money. It's going exactly where I want it to go. They need the money for funding the scholarships for those kids and to man the program the way it should be manned. It's already there, so I told them to just go ahead and keep it." Eric Nickelsen
Eric Nickelsen, another past president (2011-12), did the same thing.
"I just think that if you're in position to do so, you should try to help and supplement some of these huge losses," said Nickelsen, who lives in Pensacola, Fla. "It's not like this is for buildings or statues. This is about trying to remain financially competitive."
As the 2020-21 academic and athletic calendar inches closer, the generosity of the likes of Bryan and Nickelsen cannot be overstated.
"Stepping up like this, when we need them more than ever, is a great example of, 'In all kinds of weather, we all stick together,' " Gator Boosters deputy executive director Doug Brown said. "We cannot thank them enough. Their level of support and commitment for the Gators is terrific."
And timely.
Last week, Gator Boosters sent a letter to its constituents thanking them for their support and emphasizing the University Athletic Association's No. 1 priority was to fund student-athlete services.
"The annual cost to fund these services is approximately $34 million, with scholarship costs alone at $14.5 million for the 2020-21 academic year," the letter stated. "And if fans are attending [events] in a limited capacity, that will be a projected loss of $50 million to the UAA."
With those numbers in mind, the UAA created the Gators Marketplace, a system for boosters that rewards contribution with extra priority points and offers the additional options of redeeming all or some of a donation for a special Gator experiences (golf with Spurrier; deep-sea fishing with men's basketball coach Mike White, video chat with football coach Dan Mullen, for example). Donors can also roll over the 2020 balance to 2021 or request a refund for the 2020 balance.
"These are unprecedented times, and the hardship that we're facing is a significant revenue shortfall; revenue we need and use to support student-athletes and the student-athlete experience," Brown said. "We have some great examples of people — $23,000 here, $17,000 there — who have just told us to go ahead and keep it," Brown said. "They understand the need for it now more than ever. Every bit helps. It adds up."
It's because not everybody is in position to be so generous that the UAA created the Marketplace.
To those who can give, however, folks like Bryan and Nickelsen hope they will.
"If you're fortunate to be in that position, why not do it?" Nickelsen asked.
Added Bryan: "We do it for the love of the university. I can understand with some young people and young families, maybe you can't. Or maybe you can give a portion. And if you can just do that, you're doing your part."
