THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 16, 1994 TAG: 9406160651
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940616 LENGTH: RICHMOND
Mostly, though, this blue-blooded crowd of Wahoos came out Saturday to empty their wallets.
{REST} As dessert was being served, employees of Fox and Associates auctioneers of Virginia Beach began to work the crowd.
``Remember, this is for U.Va., this is for our athletes,'' they shouted.
Four hours later, $245,680 had been pledged to the University of Virginia's athletic program in what was a first in the ACC - a fund-raising auction. Everything from luxury cars to basketball caps went on the block, and everything was sold.
U.Va. officials acknowledge such an undertaking is unusual, especially for a school that receives millions of dollars in television money and more than $3 million per year in alumni donations.
But even with an athletic budget of $14.1 million - about twice that of Old Dominion - U.Va.'s athletic teams have needs they say aren't being met. The auction, they hope, will pay for the extras - videotape machines, new uniforms, warmups, new equipment.
The men's tennis team is typical of U.Va.'s 18 non-revenue sports. The Cavaliers drive 16 hours when they play at ACC rival Florida State, and last season, players had to provide their own uniforms.
``We'll use this money to buy uniforms,'' coach Thomas Johnson said. ``We'd like to be able to fly to Florida State, too. You're at a disadvantage after such a long drive.''
They'd probably prefer to drive if they had the wheels that Pat Gavaghan, a Raleigh, N.C., real estate developer, is tooling around in.
Gavaghan was the night's top bidder. He paid $50,100 for a Lexus luxury car that, according to the auction guide, ``is fully loaded.'' The factory sticker price was $57,000.
``He got a steal,'' said George Whitlow, a Virginia Beach native and president of Lexus of Richmond, which donated four cars.
If so, it was long-distance theft. Gavaghan is a North Carolina State alumnus who bid for the car by telephone from his Cary, N.C., home. He heard about the auction from Wood Selig, a U.Va. assistant athletic director and family friend.
``I'm a loyal N.C. State graduate,'' Gavaghan said. ``But this was a good buy.''
What Gavaghan didn't know, as he was bidding via telephone, was that Whitlow was the only other bidder.
``I was just trying to bid up the price of the car,'' Whitlow said with a smile.
Gavaghan laughed when told of Whitlow's strategy.
``Goes to show you how smart those Wahoos are,'' he said.
U.Va. officials don't know how much they cleared and won't know until the end of the week. Because federal regulations required them to pay the automobile dealers a percentage of the sales, Selig says U.Va.'s profit will be between $100,000 and $200,000.
U.Va. coaches have Selig to thank for however much is finally passed on to them. The Norfolk Collegiate graduate and Norfolk native has been lobbying U.Va. athletic director Jim Copeland for seven years to hold such an auction.
``I kept bugging them,'' Selig said. ``Finally, they said, `You want us to do it? Then you run it.' ''
Selig did, persuading businessmen, coaches, alumni and even some professional athletes to fork over anything and everything.
Five cars brought in more than $150,000.
``Once the cars started going, the numbers really started moving,'' U.Va. basketball coach Jeff Jones said.
Other items brought a smile to many faces in the crowd, including some that were unexpected.
Hornsby, a Williamsburg resident who has developed a close relationship with Jones, made an impromptu speech to rally the crowd to offer up cash. ``We accept Mastercard or Visa,'' he said.
Hornsby then offered four tickets to any of his summer concerts with Bonnie Raitt. The tickets weren't on the auction agenda.
``We had no idea he was going to do that,'' Selig said.
The bidding on the tickets began at $100 and closed out at $2,700.
Mark Mincer, who owns a Charlottesville T-shirt outlet, had bid $2,600 for the tickets, then stopped. Seconds after auctioneer Tim Dudley declared Richmond automobile dealer Jim Walker the winner, Hornsby went over to Mincer's table, wrapped his arm around him and whispered in his ear.
Mincer smiled and agreed to buy four tickets for $2,700 as well. His tickets, Mincer said later, include back-stage passes and seats on the stage for the concert.
``My girlfriend's favorite musician is Bonnie Raitt,'' he said. ``She's not here. She doesn't know this is coming because this wasn't supposed to be auctioned. ... She's gonna be shocked.''
Ed Woolridge probably fit the profile of the typical auction participant. The engineer for Philip Morris in Richmond is a U.Va. graduate and former member of the board for the Virginia Student Aid Foundation. He has a daughter attending U.Va.
The license plates on his three card read: ``BIGHOO, TRUEHOO AND LITLHOO.''
He paid $1,300 for two items - a set of golf clubs and a chance to travel with the U.Va. football team to Georgia Tech next fall. He and his wife, Bev, will fly with the team to Atlanta, stay in the same hotel and walk the sidelines with the Cavaliers at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
``I paid $500 for that trip,'' he said, beaming. ``If I flew down and stayed in a hotel, it would cost more than that, and I wouldn't be staying with the team.
``This was a bargain.''
Of which there were many. A family membership in an exclusive Charlottesville health club, usually priced at $1,600, went for $450. A 1.3-carat diamond ring, which retails for $5,000, sold for half that. A seven-day getaway to Massanutten Resort, valued at $1,500, went for $200.
After night's end, Steven I. Fox's team of half a dozen auctioneers were spent physically and emotionally, but he was no richer for their work. The U.Va. graduate paid his employees and donated their time to the auction.
Like most on this night, Fox, a Virginia Beach resident, was an enthusiastic participant.
``Let me say this to everyone,'' he said with a smile ``We do auctions everywhere in the state ... except Blacksburg.''
The next U.Va. auction likely won't be held for two years. ``We've been told that holding it every two years is the best thing to do,'' Selig said.
Which should give all of those who bought cars time to replenish their bank accounts, including a Richmond dentist who purchased a Lexus.
``As he left,'' Copeland said, ``he said, `there isn't a tooth in Richmond that's safe now.' ''
by CNB