Growing up in Northern California, John Gesek didn't envision a life, a future, nor especially a career in football. But that is exactly what the two-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman ended up with. As a kid, Gesek was a multi-sport athlete and when it came to football, he fluctuated between the offensive and defensive lines.

After attending junior college – and being away from football for a few seasons – Gesek attended Sacramento State University. It was at SSU, where coaches saw in him the makings of a great offensive lineman.

“I don’t know if you can say I exactly had the right ‘temperament’ for the offensive line,” Gesek said. “I think people have a misconception about offensive lineman mostly doing ‘catching’ when it comes to the line of scrimmage. I was an attacker. I played defense and brought that mentality to the o-line.”

Gesek proved his coach’s faith in their moving him to the offensive side of the ball by becoming a true star for the Hornets. His career at Sacramento State was capped off with him being inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the university creating the annual “John Gesek Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award” to honor his skills on the gridiron.

However, despite all his athletic prowess, Gesek looks back on his time at Sacramento State with fondness that can only be produced by shared camaraderie with his teammates. While he doesn’t make it back to the campus as often as he would like, his alma mater will always hold a special place in his heart.

“I have a ton of great memories from my time there at Sacramento State,” he said. “Of course, there are the games with [our rivals] UC-Davis. But, to be honest, the main things I remember are the guys. I made a lot of lifelong friends there and there several guys I’m still really good friends with. One of the first guys who signed up with me when I became a financial investor was a former teammate of mine. I have nothing but great memories of my career there.”

Through hard work, discipline, and sheer tenacity, Gesek turned himself into an NFL prospect. The then Los Angeles Raiders snapped him up in the 10th round of the NFL Draft in 1987. The club had designs on him making an immediate impact. However, at what should have been his peak, Gesek experienced adversity. Injuries set him back for his two seasons with the Raiders.

In September of 1990, Gesek was traded to the lowly Dallas Cowboys. He got to see from the ground up the rebirth of the franchise and as the starting left guard in their vaunted offensive line, dubbed “The Great Wall of Dallas.”

“I get asked about this a lot more than I did when we were playing,” he explained. “We were just a bunch of guys who came together. Only Mark Stepnoski was anything close to a high draft pick. Nothing like the line the team has now! We were a collection of guys who gelled and worked our tails off. Nobody had any idea we were going to be anything special.”

But special they were. Behind Gesek and company, the Cowboys became one of the most prolific offenses of the 1990s, helping to send Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I think it was 1991 when I saw that we might have something in Dallas,” he explained. “The turnover when I got there was just crazy. Jimmy [Johnson] was cleaning guys out of there left and right. When they brought in Norv Turner to be the offensive coordinator in ’91, things really clicked. He simplified things and we had the right players for the offense. The rest was history – it was a lot of fun too!”

While he would not have typecast himself as a typical offensive lineman, Gesek possessed a keen intellect and thoughtfulness that is virtually hallmark in the position. From the first moment he got into the NFL, he began planning for life out of it. His insight led him into the world of real estate and finance. When he retired from the game in 1995, after two seasons with the Washington Redskins, Gesek had already built up a portfolio and clientele for his new ventures.

“What got me thinking about life after the game? Simple, my kids,” he explained. “I knew the lifespan in pro football is short and my wife and I had three of our four children during my playing days. I knew I wanted to be around for them, and I knew I wanted to be able to better provide for them.”

These days, Gesek satisfies his competitive spirit as one of the principal members of Optimus Capital Advisors in his adoptive home of Dallas. He threw himself into the financial world and with his trademark work ethic has found success. He also credits the game of football and its lessons for a good deal of his success.

“I learned a lot from the game that I still use to this day,” he said. “Football teaches you really how to deal with adversity. You get knocked down, you lose, you get injured. All of those things are part of the game. You have to respond to them and do that in a positive way to be successful. That prepares you for life. When life becomes hard, and you really get this from all of sports, you know how to deal with it. You just keep moving forward.”