NCAA’s Oliver Luck speaks to sports studies and exercise science majors
A hush fell upon the crowd as Oliver Luck, an inductee of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, entered the Dolan Science Center on Sept. 15. Luck, who currently serves as the NCAA vice president for regulatory affairs, visited JCU to speak to the sports studies and exercise science majors. The students eagerly waited to hear career advice from Luck, who also serves on the Mike Cleary Program in Sports Studies Advisory Board.
Luck, although not a Carroll alumnus, proudly declared that he is from University Heights and was a Gesu Bulldog and a St. Ignatius Wildcat. He began the lecture by giving a brief overview of his career before focusing on advice for students.
He graduated from West Virginia University, where he played on the football team as the quarterback from 1978–1981. Luck was drafted into the NFL for the Houston Oilers. He played for them until 1986, when he decided to attend law school at University of Texas. Luck went on to work in various positions, including working as the CEO of the Houston Sports Authority and as the CEO of NFL Europe. Each of these jobs helped prepare him for his current position, the vice president for regulatory affairs for the NCAA.
After Luck shared his personal experiences, he gave the students advice to apply while in school. First, Luck stressed the importance of education. He claimed that it is helpful to earn a degree after undergraduate school, such as a law degree or an MBA. Two of the most important skills, according to Luck, are the ability to think analytically and critically. He also discussed the differences between correlation and causation. He explained that many jobs will ask employees to analyze information, and it is necessary to differentiate between these two concepts.
In addition, he discussed the value of writing skills. Communication is used in all careers, so writing skills are useful. Luck also pointed out that coding skills and knowledge about computer algorithms will serve you well in a variety of jobs. He encouraged students to acquire a unique skill that will set them apart from other applicants. Luck speaks German, for example.
Second, Luck gave suggestions for the students’ future careers. He admitted that students will make mistakes often. But these failures are the perfect time to learn. People learn more from their failures than from their successes. Once these students graduate, they will be looking for jobs. Luck claimed that it doesn’t matter what your first job is, what matters is what you learn from it. First jobs are a good opportunity to learn what you like and what you don’t like.
He asked the students to spend 80 percent of their time working at their first job, and 20 percent of their time looking for the next one. Luck attributes part of his success to his ability to look ahead and figure out where there may be a job for him in the future. He also pointed out that women leaders are underrepresented in college athletics. Because of this inequality, there are many opportunities for women interested in that field.
Lastly, Luck closed his speech with two pieces of advice for students. In regards to networking, Luck said that the best way to get ahead is just to be friendly and meet people. He told students to introduce themselves to experienced people and ask a lot of questions. Luck’s life advice is as follows, “In life, act like a duck. Be calm on the surface and paddle hard underneath.”
