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After starting every game as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts during an 11-5 rookie season in 2012, Andrew Luck was a hot commercial commodity heading into 2013.
Luck had signed few endorsement deals during his first NFL season, saying instead he preferred to focus on making the transition to the professional ranks. The exception was a deal he signed his rookie year with Riley Hospital for Children.
Luck’s focus on football paid off. Not only did the Colts make the playoffs, but Luck set several NFL records, including most passing yards in a single game (433) and a season (4,374) and fourth-quarter comebacks (seven) for a rookie.
Luck signed a bevy of deals during the off-season, including one with locally based Klipsch. He also signed pacts with EA Sports, Gatorade, Nike and Quaker Oats.
Luck, who graduated from Stanford University with a degree in architecture, has expressed a keen interest in business.
In September, the 24-year-old took an equity stake in Body Armor’s SuperDrink, with a multiyear brand partnership in which he’ll appear in national and regional advertising.
In October, Luck took an equity stake in and joined the advisory board of MC10, a Cambridge, Mass.-based startup that released its first commercial product in July. MC10 teamed with Reebok International Ltd. on the Reebok Checklight, a skullcap with sensors that fits under a helmet and measures the force of impact on the head area.
In Luck’s second season, the Colts made the playoffs again, this time as AFC South division champs.
During the coming offseason, Luck said he hopes to get more personally involved with the business endeavors of his corporate partners.
“I want to be more than a pitchman,” Luck said.