From WVU News & Information Services for MSNsportsNET.com
June 10, 2010

MORGANTOWN. W.Va. -- President James P. Clements today named former West Virginia University and NFL quarterback and Academic All-American Oliver Luck as West Virginia University’s director of intercollegiate athletics, effective July 1.

    Former WVU standout quarterback Oliver Luck was named today Director of Athletics at West Virginia University. He will begin work on July 1.
Submitted photo

Luck, 50, president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo soccer franchise in Houston, Texas, will fill the position when Ed Pastilong retires on June 30. Pastilong will serve as Athletic Director Emeritus through 2012.

The two-time Academic All-American is a member of the Academic All American Hall of Fame and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He was also a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, graduating from WVU magna cum laude in 1982 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

“Oliver Luck is someone who has succeeded at the highest of levels at everything he has done – from his college and professional football playing days to his academic pursuits and his professional business career,” said President Clements. “He is the clear choice to carry forward what has truly been a golden era in athletics. I am thrilled to welcome Oliver back to West Virginia and WVU, and I am confident that he will do an outstanding job.”

“It is truly an honor to be selected to serve my alma mater as athletic director, and to succeed such a fine gentleman as Ed Pastilong, who has served WVU so well for so many years,” Luck said. “My passion and love for West Virginia University has never wavered, and to return to a school that has built a solid foundation in academics and athletics over the last two decades is exciting.

“And while it’s a challenging time in intercollegiate athletics with discussions on conference realignments and other issues, I look forward to working with the University administration, athletic staff and coaches and others to remain a successful, attractive and fiscally responsible intercollegiate athletic program,” he said.

“WVU is truly one of the outstanding land-grant universities in the country, and I am so pleased to be a part of its momentum and growth," he said. "This is a tremendous opportunity -- a chance to return to a University and a state that I love at a dynamic and strategic time in its history. I want to thank President Clements and the screening committee for their confidence in me.”

Luck assumes the position at a time when the University is engaged in a long-term strategic planning process, which Clements has said is “an ideal time” to lead the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics into the next chapter in WVU’s history.

Screening Committee Chair Dr. Sam Ameri said he was impressed with Luck’s academic background and his emphasis on academics. “Oliver Luck truly believes in the mission of this University – teaching, research and service – areas so important to the faculty, staff, students and our state citizens,” he said.

“I also like his focus on our student-athletes and graduates being ambassadors for WVU and representing themselves in a way that the image of the University is enhanced,” he added.

A formal welcome celebration and news conference with Mr. Luck is expected to be held Monday, June 14. More details will follow.

Luck’s Background

    Luck as a standout quarterback for the Mountaineers from 1978-81.
WVU Sports Communications photo

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Luck played quarterback for the Mountaineers from 1978-1981, setting school records for touchdown passes and completions, and leading the team to a Peach Bowl victory over Florida as a senior. He ended his career as a three-year starter with school records of 43 career touchdown passes and 466 completions out of 911 passing attempts. His 5,765 career passing yards ranks him fourth on the school’s all-time passing list. He was named MVP in 1980 and 1981, and also earned the 1981 Louis D. Meisel Award for the WVU scholar athlete with the highest grade-point average. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

In 1982, he was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Houston Oilers, and either started or played back-up quarterback through the 1986 season. During that time, he earned his law degree from the University of Texas cum laude.

After retiring from football, Luck became vice president of business development for the National Football League and President and CEO of NFL Europe.

In 2001, he became chief executive officer of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, overseeing the development and management of over $1 billion of professional sports and entertainment venues in Houston: Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros; Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans and the Livestock Show and Rodeo; and the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets.

He became president of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamos in 2005, and the team won two MLS Cup championships in his first two years in the position.

He is married to the former Kathy Wilson. They have four children: Andrew, the starting quarterback at Stanford; Mary Ellen, an incoming freshman volleyball player at Stanford; daughter Emily, an incoming high school junior; and 7th grade son, Addison.

Luck, who was appointed to the WVU Board of Governors by Gov. Joe Manchin in 2008, resigned his Board position this week. (Contract information will be available in the near future.)

Clements thanked the screening committee for its careful and thoughtful review of the applicants and insight into the process that helped him with his decision.

“I appreciate the hard work and diligence of the screening committee,” Clements said. “There were many outstanding candidates in this national search. I am confident we’ve found the ideal person to lead this department to even greater success.”

WVU Athletic Achievements

Luck will lead a strong, healthy athletic department.

Over the past two decades, more than $85 million in facility renovations have taken place within the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, including many at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, making WVU’s football facility among the nation’s best. Suites on three sides of the stadium were added, along with club seating, an indoor practice facility, new locker rooms, an academic center and hall of traditions.

Other improvements include a new soccer stadium and women’s soccer training facility, gymnastics and wrestling facilities, and renovations to the Coliseum and Hawley Field.

The department’s budget has also grown from $20 million to more than $59 million over the past two decades, and WVU joined the BIG EAST football conference in 1991 and became a full-fledged member in 1995.

A growing endowment fund and an academic honor roll were also established, along with a sports hall of fame.

In addition, WVU has finished in the Top 50 in the Director’s Cup standings two out of the last three years; WVU is currently ranked No. 15.

In the latest Academic Progress Report, WVU’s combined varsity athletic teams have an APR score of 968 according to data just released by the NCAA. The APR is based upon eligibility and retention of student-athletes over a four-year period. The NCAA uses the APR as an assessment of real-time academic success.

WVU’s average APR score of 968 is up four points from last year’s average and up 12 points from two years ago. WVU’s score of 968 is higher than the NCAA’s overall four-year APR average score of 967.

For the 2008-09 academic year, West Virginia had four teams with perfect 1,000 scores: men’s basketball, cross country, gymnastics and rifle.

Men’s basketball won the Big East Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Final Four championship this year. The team has played in the NCAA tournament five of the last six years.

The women’s basketball team has participated in post season play in five of the last six years. Guard Liz Repella was named to ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All –America Women’s Basketball first team.

The football team has gone to a school-record eight-straight bowl games and has the eighth-best record in college football from 2005-2009. It was recently recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for graduating 75 percent or more of their student-athletes. This year’s senior class had a 100 percent graduation rate.

Linebacker Reed Williams was the program’s sixth National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete (Luck also earned the same honor) and third Big East football Scholar–Athlete of the Year.

Selected Quotes

Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong

“I am pleased that Oliver Luck will be taking over as our next athletic director. He is very capable and an all-around good guy. I can’t help but reflect back to the ‘70s when I was recruiting coordinator here at WVU and helped Gary Stevens recruit Oliver to Morgantown from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. And later that year, I gave Oliver his first job at WVU – working and watching out for Hawley Field and you know what, it’s still there. I look forward to working with him over the next two years and continuing the momentum that we have going. He will be a good fit for our staff.”

BIG EAST Commissioner John Marinatto

"On behalf of the BIG EAST Conference and our 16 member institutions, it is my esteemed pleasure to formally welcome Oliver Luck, his wife, Kathy, and their four children to our family. Oliver's background as a Mountaineer alum and the breadth of his experience no doubt make him an ideal candidate to lead the West Virginia athletic program into the future and strategically contribute to the future of the BIG EAST Conference.”

Football Coach Bill Stewart

“Oliver Luck was a great Mountaineer leader as our quarterback, and now will be a great Mountaineer leader as our athletic director. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the job, and this is a great day for West Virginia University.”

Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins

“Oliver Luck is the perfect guy to build on the unparalleled success of Ed Pastilong from the last 22 years. Oliver brings a wealth of business experience in running professional organizations, which will enable us to continue to build our budget to make our athletic teams more competitive while continuing to keep our athletic department in the black. I have followed Oliver’s career from the time he played football and basketball at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. And like all Mountaineer fans, I cheered his accomplishments as our quarterback. Oliver epitomized the term student-athlete, with the emphasis on student. He will be a tremendous role model for the men and women who represent this great University. I look forward to working closely with Oliver as we continue to advance Mountaineer athletics.”

Women’s Basketball Coach Mike Carey

“It’s an exciting time in Mountaineer athletics. President Clements and the search committee did an excellent job in hiring Oliver Luck as our next athletic director. His personal and professional achievements speak volumes of his capabilities and he’s the perfect fit for the direction our department is headed. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Women’s Soccer Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown

“I am excited about the leadership that Oliver Luck brings to our university at a critical time in intercollegiate athletics. He was successful as a student-athlete and continued his demand for excellence as a professional in the sport industry. I am proud to have him return to the Mountaineer athletic family.”

Gymnastics Coach Linda Burdette-Good

“Obviously, we are all very sad to see Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong go after all that he’s accomplished, but I think Oliver Luck will continue the tradition of success that Mr. Pastilong built. I like that Mr. Luck has been involved with multiple sports throughout the years, and I think he will bring a wide-based background that will serve the WVU Athletic Department well. His appreciation for women’s athletics will also foster Mountaineer success in the future.”

Men's Soccer Coach Marlon LeBlanc

"I am really pleased Oliver Luck will be the new athletic director at WVU. He has an understanding of the dynamic of WVU athletics. He brings in some major experiences in the NFL and with the MLS. Having an athletic director who understands your sport is great. I look forward to working with Oliver, who has that same understanding that Ed Pastilong did and appreciation for our sport. I think he's a great addition to our athletic department, and we look forward to Oliver taking us to even greater heights."

Wrestling Coach Craig Turnbull

"I am very excited Oliver Luck will be the next athletic director. I have known Oliver since he was a student-athlete at West Virginia University. I have always been very impressed with everything he's done. I'm very confident that he'll come in and make a strong contribution to our athletic department, the University and the state. He has a great understanding of the West Virginia culture and state, and I think he can make a seamless transition. I look forward to working him as our next athletic director."

Baseball Coach Greg Van Zant

“We are excited about the hiring of an outstanding individual in Oliver Luck as our new athletic director. He has succeeded on so many different levels, and possesses all the tools to help our University maintain its competitiveness in athletics and academics. We would also like to thank Ed Pastilong for his outstanding 20 years of service, and remain thankful that he will continue to serve a vital role in our department.”

Volleyball Coach Veronica Hammersmith

“I think the hiring of Oliver Luck as the next director of athletics is a great choice for West Virginia University. He has vast experience in the sports world, which I think will bring a lot to the athletic department. It will be nice to have someone with his qualifications leading our school.”

Rifle Coach Jon Hammond

“This is great news for the WVU Athletic Department. I don’t know Oliver Luck personally, but from everything I have read, he sounds like a good person. From a coach’s perspective, I think this is really exciting. It’s going to be exciting to have new ideas in the athletic department. Mr. Luck comes from a great background in Houston. This is just exciting news for all of the WVU teams.”

Swimming and Diving Coach Vic Riggs

“I am very excited about Oliver Luck becoming our athletic director. I also want to thank Ed Pastilong for all he has done for West Virginia. Mr. Luck brings a wealth of knowledge to the University with his previous endeavors and will continue to build on the foundation of this athletic department. As a former Academic All-American at West Virginia, he will continue to demand a high academic standard for WVU athletics. I look forward to working with Mr. Luck to bring continued success and growth to the WVU swimming and diving programs.”

Women’s Tennis Coach Marc Walters

“I think that Oliver Luck has tremendous experience in all facets of professional sports and obviously a level of collegiate experience that will be great for WVU. Everything I have seen from him, he is meticulous in what he does, and he clearly has a love for this University. This is a very good step for us and a good way for this University to build upon the momentum that Ed Pastilong started.”

Women’s Cross Country/Track Coach Sean Cleary

“The hiring of an athletic director at West Virginia University is one of the most important hires for our institution. Director Pastilong has directed our department through the Atlantic 10 into the BIG EAST and will hand the reins over to Oliver Luck as a Top 25 program in the Directors’ Cup standings. This is a remarkable achievement for our University, something that Ed Pastilong should be very proud of. This is a perfect fit for WVU. The fact that we are in the midst of an era that will most decidedly change the landscape of modern collegiate athletics forever is clear. We are very fortunate to have a new leader that brings with him the necessary skills to guide us through the next chapter in WVU Athletics. Oliver Luck has a resume that clearly demonstrates that he is more than ready for this challenge. The fact that he is a Mountaineer from head to toe is simply a wonderful bonus.”

Rowing Coach Jimmy King

“Mr. Luck’s academic, athletic and business experiences coupled with his obvious familiarity and devotion to West Virginia University over the years will serve well in leading us into the next era of Mountaineer athletics. While there are many questions regarding what lies ahead, these are undoubtedly exciting times at WVU.”

Former Football Coach Don Nehlen

“WVU just hired a great athletic director. Oliver was my first quarterback. He is extremely intelligent, a great guy and is a great family man. I can’t imagine him not doing a great job for the University. He gave up a great job to come back to Morgantown, and I know he is looking forward to coming back.”

Former WVU All-American Jerry West

"I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Oliver Luck as the newly appointed WVU athletic director. It is great to have someone that has been such an integral part of the WVU athletic and academic family. Oliver's background as a collegiate athlete, a professional athlete and an athletic executive brings years of experience and understanding to the position. Oliver Luck is a fitting replacement for Ed Pastilong, who has done an exceptional job at WVU for a number of years and who will be missed."