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From cellar to stellar: Catholic pro-player throws secret to winning big game
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February 1, 2021Quarterback-turned-financial advisor, Travis Lulay values faith, family, and football – in that order
2011 was an unforgettable season for Travis Lulay. The 37-year-old Aumsville, Oregon native was named the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player that season, which culminated in a victory for his BC Lions in the Grey Cup (the CFL’s equivalent of the Super Bowl) and an MVP award for that final game.
The stream of success is easy to remember, but as the years go by, it becomes tougher to recall the challenges that presented themselves. Lulay explained, “As time goes on, people tend to forget about the struggles that even a championship team goes through at certain points of the season. In fact, many of those top teams faced scrutiny, injuries, roster changes, underperformance, and other adversities along the way that actually helped to strengthen the resolve of the team and prepare them mentally for critical moments later in the season.”
Possibly the biggest challenge for the Lions was climbing out of the hole they had dug for themselves early on. “We started our championship season 0-5!” Lulay emphatically stated, adding that most teams do not recover from such a poor start.
The Lions, however, did not give up. They kicked a negative into a positive, going from “cellar to stellar.” Because there was little room for error, the Lions had a sense of urgency that resulted in a very disciplined and focused effort the rest of the season. They were able to win 11 of their final 13 regular season games, and then took home the Grey Cup (their sixth overall) to close out the CFL Playoffs.
Takeaway for today
Lulay sees takeaways in the 2011 season for businesses, including the family firm he joined earlier this year, Lulay Financial, LLC. What his father, Dennis, started 35 years ago and his brother, Tyler, has been contributing to for a decade, he is now also a part of on a daily basis.
Lulay believes “the best way to achieve a higher goal is to concern yourself with the things that are in your immediate control.” As a financial planning firm, it means knowing that stock market fluctuations, tax legislation, and changes in regulations are out of their control, but that, regardless of economic structures and indicators overall, serving the needs of clients remains consistent and paramount.
“Our dad, Dennis, has stated from the beginning that if we always focus on doing the best thing for our clients, the business will take care of itself,” Lulay explained. Before beginning a transition into an ownership role in the family business, Lulay earned a 3.91 GPA at Montana State University in business finance. He said that, to succeed in business now, “we have to maintain the same approach to researching opportunities, implementing timely strategies, and communicating effectively with our clients regardless of outside factors beyond our control.”
A lifelong Catholic and father of three, Lulay recently shared his insights with the Vancouver, BC Chapter of Legatus. He spoke remotely to the group from his current residence in his native Oregon. His talk focused on why he retained his Catholic faith while his generation has mostly abandoned it.
Lulay, who has only one brother but a large extended family (which he views more as immediate family) in rural Oregon, said that he “spoke on the way my parents prioritized our faith at home and the way our greater family has demonstrated our faith in critical life moments such as sickness, divorce, death, job losses, etc.”
Because this was Lulay’s first online speaking engagement, he was not sure what to expect. He ended up enjoying the experience, however, and so did Brett Powell, the Archbishop’s Delegate for Development and Ministries in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Powell said “Travis’ testimony and insights about overcoming adversity and giving glory to God during difficulty were very well received. What he shared with the Legates as a speaker, I saw him live out in the flesh a few years ago as a BC Lion.”
The talk by Lulay afforded Powell the opportunity to remember the many times he had been able to use the former BC Lions’ quarterback as an example for his own five athletic sons. Powell found Lulay’s example very beneficial to his family because, he said, “Travis is a man of faith and integrity.”
No real regrets
Lulay does occasionally think about “what might have been” had he continued in the NFL after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2006. The Seahawks won a Super Bowl in 2014, but even before that, Lulay was nearly part of two other top NFL teams. He almost signed with the New York Giants the year before their 2008 Super Bowl victory, and he was on the New Orleans Saints’ roster in 2009, a year before that team’s Super Bowl win.
However, those are fleeting thoughts of theoretical situations in the past—the type anyone can engage in, but that do not bring about practical good today. Lulay focuses on how he has been blessed, which makes it likely that more blessings will come about. He said that he feels “very fortunate to have been a part of a Grey Cup Championship team. Winning a championship at the pro level is something most athletes don’t get the opportunity to be a part of.”
Lulay has found that his faith helped him navigate the often challenging waters of pro football, saying, “I believe that having a foundation in Christ and the genuine care for others that comes with that, draws people in and allows a person to more effectively lead and positively impact others.”
Former NFL quarterback Kellen Clemens knows what Lulay has gone through. Clemens, who was part of the same draft class as Lulay, played for the New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Saint Louis Rams before serving as Philip Rivers’ backup with the San Diego Chargers from 2014 until 2017. A 30-something highachieving quarterback with a deep sense of the importance of Catholicism, Clemens was sometimes referred to as Rivers’ twin. If Lulay is added to the mix, they could be triplets.
Clemens majored in business at the University of Oregon, married, had four children, and happily returned to his Northwest roots following his playing career. He said, “I always watched Travis and followed his career from afar, first at MSU and then into the CFL with the Lions. Knowing our commonalities of being “home-grown” quarterbacks from Oregon who strive daily to live our Catholic faith made me a big fan of his not only as an athlete, but more importantly, as a person.”
Future of faith
Consistently doing what should be done, regardless of external circumstances, has often been pointed to as the mark of character. This is a message Lulay is ready to impart to anyone who might want to listen.
If someone is in the business equivalent of starting 0-5, there is plenty of reason to give up on a perfect season, but none for giving up on a better future. Positive focus and discipline in matters that are under one’s own control go a long way toward productivity and peace of mind—and just might result in a ‘championship’ down the road.
Even more helpful, Lulay knows, is relying on God’s grace, recalling that He does not require material success from our efforts, and that this world is not our permanent home. The real championship is in Heaven, and that is for souls who faithfully fight for it here.
TRENT BEATTIE is a Legatus magazine contributing writer.
