Oliver Luck will become the first commissioner and chief executive officer of the XFL, it was announced this morning.
“The XFL will be a labor of love as I get to combine my experiences as a player and executive,” Luck told ESPN in an email. “I’m thrilled to have this unique opportunity to reimagine the game that has been a constant in my life for 40 years.”
Luck will leave his leadership role at the NCAA, where he oversaw the organization’s regulatory functions, including eligibility requirements and academic affairs, and the eligibility center.
He will relocate from Indianapolis, where his son Andrew Luck is the quarterback for the Colts, to the XFL’s headquarters in Connecticut as he prepares for the league’s launch in 2020.
“Oliver and I share the same vision and passion for reimagining the game of football,” XFL founder and chairman Vince McMahon said in a statement. “His experience as both an athlete and executive will ensure the long-term success of the XFL.”
He also played quarterback for the Houston Oilers and at West Virginia University, where he was inducted into the Mountaineers’ Hall of Fame and later spent four years as athletic director.
If Olivier Luck is anything like his father, he’s a stand up guy, and can probably grow one hell of a neck-beard. Nice hire by the XFL.
