Feature Story

November 17, 2011 | By Pam Besel

Pictured here are Brandon Luttinger ’10 with world-class tennis professional, Andre Agassi. (Photo courtesy of Todd Luttinger)

Life After OWU

Pictured here are Brandon Luttinger ’10 with world-class tennis professional, Andre Agassi. (Photo courtesy of Todd Luttinger)

For Brandon Luttinger ’10 and millions of others, tennis is a game of strategy, involving split-second decision making and  sportsmanship skills. As captain of OWU’s varsity tennis team for three years, and winner of more than 40 matches on the singles court, the economics management major also developed the skill of balancing his academic and athletic interests throughout his time at Ohio Wesleyan. Since his OWU graduation, Luttinger has been living and working in Boston, where he accepted a position in the corporate actions department of Brown Brothers Harriman & Company, a financial services firm serving clients globally. Tennis—but also soccer, marathon running, and world travel—remains a passion and after-work priority for Luttinger. Having an opportunity to meet and play against the previous number one world-class tennis player, Andre Agassi, in a Boston pro-am event in October was, as Luttinger says, a brief but unforgettable experience. That event, part of the Champions Cup series, run by former tennis great, Jim Courier, was sponsored by Providea Conferencing, ( a company providing videoconferencing services) of which Luttinger’s father, Todd, is CEO and president.

“When I was at OWU, I loved the opportunity to have all the pressure on my matches, but when I was on the court with Andre, I had never been so nervous on a tennis court in my life,” recalls Brandon. “My legs were shaking because I was so concerned about making sure I didn’t embarrass myself, so instead of thinking too much while playing, I decided to rip every shot as hard as I could. I actually hit a winner past Andre on the first point we played!” Agassi took it all in stride, but soon returned the favor. “In the end, he was as nice a guy as you can imagine, as he took time to sign photos and an OWU tennis shirt,” Brandon says.

Editor’s Note: The new six-court Luttinger Tennis Center was ready for action earlier this fall, and the remaining six courts on Henry Street were resurfaced.