Luck on side of Mounties

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August 18, 2010

By BRIAN WOODSON Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Wed Aug 18, 2010, 05:00 AM EDT

BLUEFIELD — The West Virginia Mountaineers have Luck on their side.

That luck will shift to Bluefield later this week, in the form of Oliver Luck, who took over as West Virginia’s athletic director in June.

Luck is traveling to nine different cities in the Mountain State beginning today and running through Friday, meeting and discussing everything West Virginia athletics with local supporters of the Mountaineers.

One of those stops will be the Bluefield Elks Lodge on Thursday, one of four stops that day in what is being called “Summer Blitz with Oliver Luck.”

“His purpose and it is not only him, but the university wanted to introduce our new athletic director,” said Frazier Miller, with the Mercer County branch of the Mountaineer Athletic Club. “Certainly we have picked a good one.”

Luck, who took over for Ed Pastilong on July 1, will be joined by Mountaineer Athletic Club officials Gary McPherson and Niles Eggleston, with former West Virginia basketball player Darius Nichols or other WVU or former athletes possibly attending as well.

The session will begin at 11:30 a.m., and will last an hour. Lunch will not be served since the group will have to be in Logan at 2, followed by Summersville at 5. They’ll start that morning in Beckley at 9 a.m.

“There will be a number of players and staff members that join in throughout the route of this blitz,” Miller said. “Some will be on the flight group and some are driving in.

“This is truly a blitz. This thing is taking so many stops, this is going to be something. I hope they have got a fast airplane and a long runway.”

While Miller isn’t sure what the format will be for the gathering, he does encourage all WVU supporters to attend the free event.

“We will be setting up for 70 or 75, but if more come in I guess we can expand over into the big room,” Miller said. “They are not even staying for lunch. We have got to provide them box lunches so they can grab them and run.”

Luck will, no doubt, address the recent developments involving West Virginia football, which has been accused by the NCAA of five major and one secondary violation that started in 2005 and continued through last season.

West Virginia also reported another secondary violation last week for using equipment other than just helmets in the first two days of preseason camp, another violation of NCAA rules.

“I’m sure there are going to be questions that will be coming up in regards to our present situation,” Miller said.

Luck responded quickly to recent developments, hiring Keli Cunningham on Monday as the school’s new athletic compliance director.

“He has definitely got a challenge, there is no question about that, but he could not have come at a better time with the problems we are facing right now,” Miller said. “He will be a solid leader for the athletic department and we certainly hope he will be very effective in his position.”

The 11th athletic director at West Virginia, Luck is a Cleveland, Ohio native, who played football for the Mountaineers from 1978-81, accumulating 5,765 yards and 43 touchdown passes during his career, which was highlighted by WVU’s upset of Florida in the 1981 Peach Bowl.

He spent four seasons with the NFL’s Houston Oilers, and has served in executive positions with the NFL, NFL Europe and World Football League, along with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamos.

A member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, Luck has four children, two of which are involved in athletics at Stanford. Andrew is a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback for the Cardinal football team, while his daughter, Mary Ellen, plays on the Stanford volleyball team.

A Rhodes Scholar while at West Virginia, Miller is confident West Virginia has selected the right person for the job.

“He’s well known throughout the country,” Miller said. “He is a Rhodes Scholar, a very intelligent person, and not only was he a good athlete, but he is an excellent business person.

“Everywhere he has been he has been in a top position and well liked and very effective.”

Miller expects that to continue at his new post.

“It is a good time for him to be coming in as our athletic director because of changes and things that are going on at this time,” Miller said. “We feel like the university couldn’t have picked a better person to be athletic director.”

For more information, call the Mountaineer Athletic Club at (800) 433-2072.

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com

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