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A Homecoming for Wood Selig '83

Old Dominion University — and all of Tidewater, it seems — are welcoming Norfolk native Wood Selig back to the area with open arms. The 1983 Washington and Lee alumnus, who came to W&L from Norfolk Collegiate, has taken over as the athletic director at Old Dominion after 11 years at Western Kentucky.

Prior to Western Kentucky, Wood had worked in sports administration at Virginia Commonwealth and the University of Virginia, after receiving his master’s in sports administration from Ohio University. A psychology major at W&L, Wood also earned a doctorate in education leadership from U.Va.

The response to Wood’s hiring has been remarkable. Not only has he received plaudits from Bowling Green, Ky.,, which he is leaving, including a laudatory column in the WKU student newspaper,  but media in Tidewater have also praised the ODU decision, noting that it’s particularly important because of Wood’s experience in fundraising as the Monarchs begin only their second season of varsity football.

For instance, David Teel wrote about Wood’s hiring in the Newport News Daily Press: “ODU could not have selected anyone more rooted in its sporting past than Wood Selig. More important, the school has chosen an accomplished administrator, and the combination makes Selig, at first blush, an inspired hire straight from central casting.” In the Virginia Pilot, Bob Molinaro has a column about Wood that includes comments from people who knew him growing up in Norfolk and on the job at Western Kentucky.

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