Oliver Luck Q and A
November 02, 2014 01:43 PM | General
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| Luck |
What is the latest update on the new baseball ballpark?
Luck: I’ve done enough building to know that the only people who really know is the contractor because they know exactly what needs to happen. We’re scheduled to open it up on March 17.
There are plans for updating areas in the WVU Coliseum and around the athletics complex. Where in the process is that project?
Luck: We put up the RFP (Request for Proposals) for the architect and engineer, and there are a number of projects described in that document. The concourse at the Coliseum and all of the excess space with old classrooms, there are a lot of good things we are trying to do with restrooms and concessions and really using that space a little bit differently.
A lot of it will be aesthetics instead of that generic eggshell white color we have right now. We’re trying to really brighten it up to make it seem like you’re in a basketball arena, not an academic building.
We also have plans for the Shell Building and adding a visiting team locker room at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Those are all described in the RFP, as well as the next use for Hawley Field, which will more than likely be parking.
That is a lot and it comes on top of everything we’re doing at the stadium. We’re much farther along stadium-wise. Some of that work will begin right after the season is over, including the new turf and shaving off the crown. People who wonder why we are doing the crown should go down to the field. Then you realize how big it really is. It has to be the largest crown in college football.
We think we’ll be doing all the prep work needed for the concourse. There will be a whole bunch of piping and conduit that needs to get laid on the east and west side. Starting this football offseason, there will be a steady flow of work both at the Coliseum and at football.
Do you have a phased plan for the football construction?
Luck: There will probably be three phases with football; we’re not positive. This offseason will be the turf and crown. The team room will be finalized and prep work will begin on the east and west concourse. We won’t really redo the concourses until the following offseason.
Part of it is that there are only so many sub-contractors in Morgantown and there is a lot of construction going on in Morgantown. Even if we wanted to do it all at once, we may not be able to. We may end up doing one offseason field and prep work, second offseason west concourse, third offseason east concourse. It may take that long to get it done simply because of contractor capacity.
What has the feedback been on the new aesthetics at Milan Puskar Stadium?
Luck: I’ve only heard very positive things. People love the color and the look of the design. I think it looks better on TV than the old gray walls. We have the same opportunity in the Coliseum because we have the similar eggshell white color scheme in the concourse and the interior of the bowl.
Where do things stand regarding autonomy and the power five conferences?
Luck: The issues are full cost of attendance, guaranteed multi-year scholarships, the ability to go back to finish your degree with a certain time period and health care. Those are our big issues on the autonomous agenda. That agenda was formalized at the end of October and it will be discussed at the NCAA convention among the 65 schools.
With the autonomous group, it’s important to remember that it will be drafted such as another school in the smaller five can do that if they want to, but they don’t have to. It’s permissive legislation. You could have the Mid-American Conference or the American Athletic Conference or Conference USA, any one of those schools or conferences can decide what they want to do.
Do you see any movement in conference affiliation in the near future?
Luck: I don’t think there will be much movement anymore. Everybody is in a holding pattern because we’re all waiting to see how this full cost gets implemented. How much is it going to cost us? Also, how this name-image likeness trust fund payment gets implemented. How much is that going to cost? I think movement of schools will be non-existent for the next three or four years.
People are also waiting to see how the college football playoff system plays out. Is it good for the Big Ten to have 14? Or is it better for the Big 12 to have 10? Nobody knows the answer and nobody will know until you have enough of a body of work to draw some conclusions. It would be a mistake to base it off this year. It may not be indicative of the future. That’s the $64,000 question, how will this change?
How has being a member of the college football playoff committee gone thus far?
Luck: The new playoff system has increased people’s interest in these games. I’m watching a lot of games. We don’t meet until the end of the month, but I’m watching more games than I’ve ever watched. I’m watching them differently and taking notes on things.
What are your feelings on having athletic directors as members of the college football playoff committee?
Luck: I think it is good to have ADs on the committee. We’re in the business. It is based on the basketball committee, which has commissioners and ADs only. There are a lot of people that watch a lot of football that are smart. You could have 25 different groups of competent people making this decision. The system is the way it is and I think it is good and the people on this committee are great.
You recently completed a deal with Virginia Tech to play in common sports. The series will be called the Black Diamond Challenge. How important is it to maintain regional rivalries in the changing landscape of college athletics?
Luck: It only makes sense for these two great land grant institutions, with long and rich athletic histories, to be competing against each other in the athletics realm. Many of our sports teams have long-standing rivalries with Virginia Tech, the oldest dating back to baseball in 1905. This border rivalry is good for the fans and coaches and it provides great competition for the student-athletes. I applaud the teamwork and cooperation of both schools to get the Black Diamond Challenge finalized. It’s a win-win for both institutions and for college athletics in general.
