Smoking Musket Orange Bowl MVP: Oliver Luck

by Mountaineer Chuck on Jan 5, 2012 8:23 AM EST in BCS

Oliver Luck needs to take a bow today. And a much deserved break.

WVU's AD was much maligned last spring for his succession plan to replace Bill Stewart with Dana Holgorsen. To some he was disloyal to a "good man" like Stewart by forcing him to leave after three consecutive nine-win seasons and three straight bowl games. To others, Luck was foolish to think he could keep a civil atmosphere in the football offices by forcing the head coach to resign and making him a figure head for an entire season.

What I celebrate today is Oliver Luck's commitment to WVU's athletic future. If being loyal to WVU fans and true to his instincts meant having to send Elmer Fudd packing (incidentally, we discovered that Stew wasn’t such a nice guy after all), then God bless the AD. Luck’s only mistake was not being more "unkind" to Stewart and showing him the door from the outset.

Oliver Luck is my Orange Bowl MVP! In one year he has made the difficult and often painful moves necessary to get WVU athletics moving toward unprecedented heights. His levelheaded guidance through "Stewmageddon" and the chaos of conference realignment has been rewarded. Last night’s Orange Bowl "Mountaineer Massacre" (SI.com’s headline) made this past turbulent year pay off.

Today it is difficult to remember the mess that was last June or the hysteria of conference realignment. In the afterglow of the best night in WVU sports history (simultaneous BIG football and basketball wins), I’ve managed to forget how nail biting it was this past fall to wonder whether we’d be stuck in Big East Hell forever. What I do recall is that through it all, "Ollie" stayed as cool as a cucumber, never flinching or equivocating.

WVU isn’t completely out of the woods regarding the timing of its move to the Big 12. However, knowing that the former QB Luck is still calling the plays for WVU Athletics, makes the future look as bright as today’s Miami sun.

Oliver Luck, I sure hope that you and your son Andrew are enjoying a beer together and chilling under a palm tree on Miami Beach today. You deserve it.

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Comments

F and Yes Chuck!

by JohnRadcliff on Jan 5, 2012 8:29 AM EST reply actions

I agree.

We have the best AD in the country. Period. End of Story.

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect.

by dubveeyou on Jan 5, 2012 9:25 AM EST reply actions

A more accurate statement

has never been said.

God bless Oliver Luck and God bless West Virginia University!

"that place laid the foundation for who I am. A lot of outsiders make fun of it and say negative things about West Virginia. Fuck them" - Jerry West

by MountaineerAirman on Jan 5, 2012 9:27 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed... And more needs said

Oliver Luck has been a stand up guy throughout all of this and said that in hind sight he probably would not have handled the coaching situation the same way. Yet, so many are still mad and love stew (notice no caps) and believe that stew was completely innocent; it baffles the mind. If Luck had not had the foresight to get us where we are and where we are going, last night’s score could easily have been reversed. And to the Holgs naysayers, maybe you all should finally show some support and finally welcome him. Was it his fault stew was fired? If Holgs had not been hired it would have been someone else, right? Let’s go Mountaineers!

by EersLadyFan on Jan 5, 2012 10:43 AM EST reply actions

Without Holgorsen

Louisville or Cincinnati would have been playing Clemson in the Orange Bowl last night, and while I think Louisville will be a terror next year or the year after, both teams, I believe, would have lost.

We owe last night to Holgs.

"that place laid the foundation for who I am. A lot of outsiders make fun of it and say negative things about West Virginia. Fuck them" - Jerry West

by MountaineerAirman on Jan 5, 2012 10:46 AM EST up reply actions