NFL Super Bowl Champion Triner ’15 Motivates Assumption Business Students

In late March, Zach Triner ’15, Super Bowl champion and long snapper for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, returned to Assumption’s campus to share with students his inspiring story of perseverance and finally “making it” in the NFL, as well as the business side of sports. He also shared some advice for students evaluating their own life goals and looking for their own “dream jobs.”
“You don’t need to know all the answers… you’ve just got to chase that feeling,” Triner said, advice that led him from Assumption all the way to the NFL.  
Triner shared his journey of transferring colleges and the transition from a lacrosse to a football player (Triner played lacrosse at Siena College prior to transferring to Assumption), noting that it didn’t matter where he was geographically–whether at Harvard or here— “it’s all what you pour into it.”
Before getting to the professional level he is at today, Triner had to learn to be courageous and face his goals head on.
After leaving his job of three years at Fidelity, Triner drove across the country in his two-door Jeep Wrangler, which also became his home for two weeks, to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. During that time, he was tested often but, with the aid of his Catholic faith, continued to fight for his goal of making it in the NFL. Triner recalled the moment he was at an In N’ Out Burger and a young man in front of him has his card declined. Despite having little money of his own, Triner paid for the man’s meal. The man told Triner that “Jesus loves you.” Triner did not think much of it at the time, but in the following days, he was given more signs and more hope to keep going. 
After numerous tryouts with several football teams, Triner signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2019. 
He credits his ability to play professional football with the connections he made with people along the way, including friendships that offered healthy competition. He shared that small networking events allowed him to get to know people who knew other people, which led him to “the right person.” Triner said that achieving your goal does not always happen right away or when you want it to because, “God’s time is different than my time.” 
On multiple occasions during the class he spoke to, Triner encouraged students to “play in traffic and be over your skis,” just like he did (hypothetically speaking, of course), to chase their dreams.  
He also spoke highly of the genuine character of Assumption students, suggesting that the Catholic liberal education imparted upon them by Assumption provides them with the same knowledge and skillset as any Ivy League student. 
“Whatever that goal is, and you all have that something in mind, whether it be working at Bain Capital or at the Red Sox, to get there you have to completely tune out those external factors,” he said. “Why should someone hire [an Assumption graduate]? I’ll tell you why. There is someone behind that person. Someone who people want to work with, someone you actually want a relationship with, and you will for the long term. They are someone worth keeping around. They are trustworthy, they are good stewards of capital, they are good stewards of relationships. I wish someone told me that. The ability to articulate that [to a future employer] is very important, and is what is going to make you stick out from the competition.”
He advised that when making connections, it is important to seek advice first. When making connections, don’t focus on the job prospects or money, but use others to “help me bridge this gap from college to my first job,” he said. 
And what happens after you reach that goal? Triner says to keep going and never stop.