Irish legend Justin Tuck transitions from NFL to Goldman Sachs

 

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Irish legend Justin Tuck still holds 2 defensive records for sacks for the Irish. While Tuck had a dream NFL career with two Super Bowl wins, he's not satisfied with the past he's always looking forward to what's next.

"I knew this retirement thing was not going to last long for me," Tuck said.

Tuck has been making opposing offenses miserable throughout his career.

At Notre Dame, the defensive end still holds records for his career 24.5 sacks.

He could have gone just about anywhere but Tuck wasn't satisfied with just football, he wanted more.

"What set Notre Dame apart was the academics. There's a lot of great football all around the country but coming from a faith based household, coming from a household that my mom and my dad preached getting my grades and the academic side of things. There are not a lot of places in this country, I'll go as far as to say no other place in this country that you can get the full gamut of those three," Tuck said.

Tuck graduated in 2005 with a degree in management from the Mendoza School of Business setting him up for the rest of his life.

"I think for me personally, Notre Dame is like a second home. It's definitely where I grew up. I met my wife here so a lot of great memories, a lot of great people still involved a lot on the athletic end and the academic end. So we cherish those moments," Tuck said.

In the 2005 NFL draft, Tuck was selected in the third round by the New York Giants.

There he worked his way up the depth chart behind future hall of famer Michael Strahan but he wasn't satisfied with just being a backup on the biggest stage

In Super Bowl 42, Tuck made Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's life miserable racking up 2 sacks, 2 wb hurries, a forced fumble and 6 tackles leading the Giants to victory.

Tuck relished the opportunity to not only get after Brady but to exchange choice words throughout the game.

"Listen, we're competitors. Tom is obviously, if not, the greatest to play the game, he brings out the best in us. It was fun to kind of hear him drawing back and forth and having the opportunity to draw back and forth. He's one of the greatest players to ever play the game. There's nothing but respect there and there's definitely with him the same towards me or any other guys. We're definitely competitors and we appreciate each other's craft and I was able to get the better of him in the two that mattered the most," Tuck said.

In Super Bowl 46, Tuck was the defensive captain and he led the way once again becoming the only player in NFL history to multiple sacks in multiple Super Bowls.

But for Tuck it's not the stats or the hardware that stand out.

"For me it's always been about the people who are on that journey with you. I remember the journey more than I remember the game. The bus rides, the plane rides. Little things like watching Coach Coughlin eat an In and Out burger in Arizona, or his face being as red as a cherry in Green Bay. Or Michael Strahan slipping in the shower one day. Stuff like that that people never see, those are the memories," Tuck said.

Tuck retired in 2016 after 11 NFL seasons. He recorded 18 forced fumbles and is sixth on the Giants all-time list with 60 and a half sacks.

After he retired, Tuck decided to go back to school to get his MBA.

"I thought about the retirement piece. I did that for about 3 weeks. Me and my wife and our kids have this little ritual that we do at the dinner table where we tell each other about the favorite part of our day. And for three weeks in a row, I told them my favorite of my day was golf or sat in the backyard and I was able to have a drink and smoke a cigar. Very quickly I realized that they're not going to remember anything I've done on the football field or my time at Notre Dame, they're going to remember me sitting on the couch watching TV every day when they come home from school," Tuck said.

Once again not satisfied with a life of leisure Tuck followed his wife Lauran's lead who had already earned her master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and enrolled in Wharton ranked the number one business school in the country.

"When they're 21, 22 years old, what's going to be in them to go out and make it in this world and have the work ethic that they needed," Tuck said.

In July, Tuck became a vice president at Goldman Sachs in the private wealth management division, setting an example for his sons to follow.