Welcome home, Oliver Luck!

We will have a full write-up of the Oliver Luck press conference later today. Some of the highlights were: he did mention conference realignment, and it’s important to keep all options open. WVU President Jim Clements presented Luck with his original Peach Bowl jersey, an updated version of his jersey, as well as a hat which he put on. When asked about the pending NCAA violations, Luck said he was aware of them.

Luck takes over 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. He joins an athletic department which has seen its budget grow from $20 million to more than $59 million over the past two decades.

Brief bio taken from MSNSportsNet.com

"A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Luck played quarterback for the Mountaineers from 1978-1981, setting school records for touchdown passes and completions. 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 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 Dynamo in 2005, and the team won two MLS Cup championships in his first two years in the position.Luck and his wife, Kathy, have four children: Andrew, 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 last week."

Personally, WVU hit a grand-slam with this hire. Class act all the way. Now, I wonder if we could get his son Andrew to transfer to WVU?