LATE SID RECALLED
July 19, 2011 02:27 PM | General
Ben Lusk, West Virginia University’s sports information director from 1968-1971, has died. Lusk was responsible for promoting Mountaineer football and basketball, working with coaches Jim Carlen, Bobby Bowden, Bucky Waters and Sonny Moran during his four-year stay in Morgantown.
The Bethany College graduate, who first joined the Mountaineer staff in 1967 as a graduate assistant, left WVU to become the president of the West Virginia Surface Mine Association and was a founder of the National Surface Mining and Reclamation Council, which has now become the National Coal Association.
Lusk won “Best in the Nation” recognition for his special projects work at WVU at the 1969 College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) convention.
Veteran reporter Mickey Furfari recalled a trip he once took with Lusk up to Penn State to cover a WVU-Penn State basketball game at old Rec Hall. Lusk was waiting outside for Furfari, one of the last reporters still in the press room dictating his story to the newspaper, when the alarm went off in the arena.
“I went outside and I saw Ben up on the hood of his car with cops all around him,” Furfari chuckled. “He said, ‘Hey look, I’m WVU’s sports information director and I am waiting outside for one of our reporters to come out and take him back to the Nittany Lion Inn.’”
Unfortunately for Lusk, he still owned a Pennsylvania driver’s license and the State College police were having a hard time believing his story when they first saw his identification card.
“I said, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’” said Furfari. “I showed the policeman my press card and I told him, ‘Ben was a Pennsylvania native, but he’s comparably new at WVU and he’s an outstanding sports information director, and I’m sure if you get anybody from Penn State they would recognize him.
“‘Plus, he’s my ride back to the Nittany Lion Inn!’”
The officer let the young WVU staffer go, and whenever Furfari and Lusk would see each other through the years, that story would invariably always come up.
Lusk was also the man responsible for coordinating the post-game press conference up at Pitt Stadium when West Virginia blew a 35-8 halftime lead to the Panthers and Mountaineer fans were waiting outside the team locker room to give first-year coach Bobby Bowden a piece of their mind.
“He was right in the middle of all of that,” laughed Furfari. “A lot of WVU fans were right there saying, ‘Hey Bowden, come out here!’ and ‘Bye-bye Bobby!’ Bobby wisely stayed in the locker room.”
Lusk, 66, was a native of McKeesport, Pa., who was residing in Robinson Township, Pa., at the time of his death last Sunday.
“He was a great guy,” said Furfari. “He had (multiple sclerosis) and he really fought that hard throughout his life, even going to Germany for treatments.”
The Bethany College graduate, who first joined the Mountaineer staff in 1967 as a graduate assistant, left WVU to become the president of the West Virginia Surface Mine Association and was a founder of the National Surface Mining and Reclamation Council, which has now become the National Coal Association.
Lusk won “Best in the Nation” recognition for his special projects work at WVU at the 1969 College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) convention.
Veteran reporter Mickey Furfari recalled a trip he once took with Lusk up to Penn State to cover a WVU-Penn State basketball game at old Rec Hall. Lusk was waiting outside for Furfari, one of the last reporters still in the press room dictating his story to the newspaper, when the alarm went off in the arena.
“I went outside and I saw Ben up on the hood of his car with cops all around him,” Furfari chuckled. “He said, ‘Hey look, I’m WVU’s sports information director and I am waiting outside for one of our reporters to come out and take him back to the Nittany Lion Inn.’”
Unfortunately for Lusk, he still owned a Pennsylvania driver’s license and the State College police were having a hard time believing his story when they first saw his identification card.
“I said, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’” said Furfari. “I showed the policeman my press card and I told him, ‘Ben was a Pennsylvania native, but he’s comparably new at WVU and he’s an outstanding sports information director, and I’m sure if you get anybody from Penn State they would recognize him.
“‘Plus, he’s my ride back to the Nittany Lion Inn!’”
The officer let the young WVU staffer go, and whenever Furfari and Lusk would see each other through the years, that story would invariably always come up.
Lusk was also the man responsible for coordinating the post-game press conference up at Pitt Stadium when West Virginia blew a 35-8 halftime lead to the Panthers and Mountaineer fans were waiting outside the team locker room to give first-year coach Bobby Bowden a piece of their mind.
“He was right in the middle of all of that,” laughed Furfari. “A lot of WVU fans were right there saying, ‘Hey Bowden, come out here!’ and ‘Bye-bye Bobby!’ Bobby wisely stayed in the locker room.”
Lusk, 66, was a native of McKeesport, Pa., who was residing in Robinson Township, Pa., at the time of his death last Sunday.
“He was a great guy,” said Furfari. “He had (multiple sclerosis) and he really fought that hard throughout his life, even going to Germany for treatments.”
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