Lauren Goss, a third-generation UO alumni, has recently become University of Oregon’s first athletics archivist, the only person on the West Coast to hold this position after a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor. 

According to UO spokesperson Eric Howald, though the donation was $1 million, most of the funds went toward building out the athletics archival program.

Goss teaches courses at the UO in history, ethnic studies, business, journalism and advises students on research projects. Several members of her family attended the UO, including her parents, grandparents and brother, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. 

“I was a history major here at the Honors College, and in your senior year at the Honors College, you have to write a thesis,” Goss said. “I wanted to choose something where I could talk with people who lived through a historic event, and [I was] personally interested in athletics here at the University of Oregon.” 

The athletics archivist position consists of a number of responsibilities, all of which are connected to the history of athletics at the UO. 

“I love the opportunity for engagement, whether that’s researchers or talking with students or talking with alumni about their experiences. And in athletics, we talk about singular moments, right? The game-winning shot or phenomenal play,” Goss said. “What I get to do as an athletics archivist is tell the story leading up to that moment, that moment, and after that moment, using different types of resources to explain why that moment is important or historical.”

Archives of athletics games are displayed in the library and are used for the purpose of educating students about history in a hands-on way, according to Goss. 

“Athletics is very engaging and relevant to students,” Vice Provost and University Librarian Alicia Salaz said. “Our students recognize the UO has such a strong athletics brand and so many are involved in athletics in some way, so it’s exciting to offer a new way to introduce undergraduates to the archives and special collections.”

After completing her bachelor’s degree at the UO, Goss worked as a paralegal in litigation defense before obtaining a master’s degree in library and information science. 

“I came back to the University of Oregon in 2016 to work in the archive,” Goss said. 

Goss has worked in various different positions in the library archives since 2016, including doing identification and conservation of athletic films, which helped lead her to her current position. 

“I came across an article written by an athletics archivist at the University of Maryland about her work, and that was my first exposure to the idea that such a position could exist, so I pitched the idea to the library administration and development, which is the fundraising side of the university,” Goss said. 

In order for Goss to become UO’s athletics archivist, additional funding was needed. 

“Lauren’s position was funded by an anonymous family foundation. The family has deep Oregon roots and a love of UO libraries. The combination resulted in creating a new opportunity for U of O to be a leader in the field of college sports history preservation, joining only about a dozen other colleges and universities throughout the nation,” said Margaret Savoian, senior associate director of development.

According to Goss, it took several years to get a proposal and find a donor before she was officially named as UO’s athletics archivist on Sept. 1. 

“The history of this university is complex and multifaceted, and using the story of athletics is one way to look at that university history. We have over 130 years of history of our athletic teams and people and traditions and facilities. And similarly, my job is really multifaceted,” Goss said.

Goss is the only person to work as an athletics archivist on the West Coast and one of fewer than 10 athletics archivists at the collegiate level in the entire United States. 

“Most people are surprised that this position didn’t already exist at the UO, given our emphasis and history on human performance and sport across our curriculum and across our university, but I definitely understand that it’s a monumental responsibility to be a part of preserving and sharing through the lens of sport,” Goss said.