6/27/2008
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Joe Manchin today announced his intention to appoint Oliver Luck to the West Virginia University Board of Governors. The appointment will be for four years and will become effective July 1.
Mr. Luck, who earned his bachelor’s degree from WVU and was a record-setting quarterback on the football team from 1978 to 1981, has been President and General Manager of the Houston Dynamo, a Major League Soccer franchise, since January 2006. Under his leadership, the Dynamo has won back-to-back Major League Soccer championships in 2006 and 2007.
“I am so pleased that Oliver Luck has agreed to serve on the WVU Board of Governors,” said Gov. Manchin. “While he was widely recognized as an outstanding athlete during his time at WVU, Oliver was also an outstanding scholar. Since then, he has also achieved tremendous success in his professional career, and I am confident that he will be a true asset to the Board as it works to continue to move WVU forward.”
Before heading up the Dynamo, Luck was CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, a governmental entity created by the State of Texas that financed, built and managed three major sports and entertainment venues in Houston: Minute Maid Park, Reliant Stadium and Toyota Center. Prior to that, he was vice president of business development for the National Football League and President and CEO of NFL Europe.
“It is an honor to be appointed to serve on the Board of Governors of West Virginia University,” said Luck. “As an alumnus with a deep passion for the University, I pledge to work tirelessly with my colleagues to fulfill the mission of the University to achieve excellence in teaching, research, service and technology. West Virginia University is an outstanding land-grant research institution and I look forward to serving the entire University community as a member of the Board.”
Luck, a Cleveland native, also has a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and played professional football for the Houston Oilers for five seasons.
He is a member of the Academic All-American Hall of Fame and the WVU Athletic Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Houston and is married to the former Kathy Wilson. They have four children.
Contact Information
Lara Ramsburg
304-558-2000