The Next Generation of You: Brad Daluiso

by Jim Gehman

“I didn’t grow up playing football. I didn’t kick a football until my third year of college,” Daluiso said. “And so I was definitely a late starter. And then once I was in the NFL, I was kind of learning on the fly.”

Even Rand McNally would have had a difficult time mapping Daluiso’s travels at the onset of his gridiron career.

“I signed as an undrafted free agent (out of UCLA) with the Green Bay Packers in 1991 and was there for all of training camp,” Daluiso said. “And then I got traded to the Atlanta Falcons for the first regular-season game of the ’91 season. I got cut after the second week, but picked up by the Buffalo Bills. I kicked off for the Bills for the last 14 regular-season games, the playoffs and in the Super Bowl (XXVI).

“I left in the offseason and signed with the Dallas Cowboys under Plan B free agency. I got cut (at the end of training camp) and picked up by the Denver Broncos. I played for Denver for the ’92 season, but I got cut (in the following year’s training camp) and picked up by the New York Giants. I played all of ’93 through 2000 with the Giants (including playing in Super Bowl XXXV).

“I’m proud of the fact that I was able to navigate and pretty much learn under fire, which is not really easy to do. That led to a nice long career. I’m a believer in the fact that kickers nowadays, if you play long enough, you’re going to have some sort of an event that is not going go your way. I’m proud that I escaped without some sort of a football career catastrophe.”

Following his disaster-free 10-year career, Daluiso went from field goals to finance, and is a Morgan Stanley Senior V.P., Private Wealth Advisor and Corporate Retirement Director, based in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, California. 

Partnered with Darren Pfefferman for the past 17 years, Daluiso focuses on providing services to a group of clients that include business owners, athletes and entertainers. He is also primarily responsible for new client acquisitions.

Daluiso feels that his football history has been beneficial in his second career.

“I think there are a couple things – work ethic and being very routine-oriented – that’s kind of the definition of me and it’s certainly carried over from my football career to my business career,” Daluiso said. “So, yes, as far as the things that I took from the field to the office, I think that football helped. I don’t think it wins business, but I think the football story can certainly be a tie-breaker.

“But all things being equal, you have to provide great service to your clients. That should be assumed and we do that. There are other people in our industry that do that as well, and I’d like to think that my first career is a nice conversation starter.”