To borrow a phrase from the NCAA, Austin Peay has more than 300 student-athletes and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports. Over the years, several of Austin Peay's departed student-athletes have gone on to do big things in their chosen field. Trent Caffee's journey from football field to high-level trading may not have been traditional, but it showcases Caffee's skills as a self-made man.

There are parallels between what Trent Caffee did and what Trent Caffee does.

What he did was throw spirals as an Austin Peay quarterback, where he threw for more than 1,200 yards during parts of four seasons under center, even leading the program in total offense in 2009. What he does is trade precious metal futures for Dorado Trade Group in Dallas. You wouldn't think there would be a great deal of transferrable skills between those pursuits. But you'd be wrong.

To begin, let's try to understand what it is Caffee does. In his words:

"Dorado Trade Group focuses on physical metals trading by making a two-way market in all major gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion products," he said. "[I] focus on our risk (covering hedging, options, future contracts and arbitrage)."

Assessing risk is nothing new. A quarterback looking over the line of scrimmage does this with every snap. Read the coverage. Go through your progressions. If the linebacker moves up and the safety drops, how does this change your processes? The foe may have changed, and Caffee has traded pads for a suit, but thinking quickly and processing information—that's a transferrable skill if ever there was one.

"I'd never thought about in that way before," Caffee said. "But there are a lot of similarities in how you work on a football field and how I do this job. It's ever-changing, constantly evolving, and any plans that get made have to take that into consideration. You have to be able to adjust on the fly and keep your head under pressure. And no matter how well you execute, something could come along and blow it all up."

That Caffee is even in this position comes down to the kind of hard work he had to display at Austin Peay. A Health and Human Performance major in college, Caffee had no particular finance background, but instead talked his way into an audition for a job with Elemental Capital; basically, he and a handful of other people were going to compete for the spot, to the victor go the spoils.

Caffee might not have been a typical finance guy. But hard work and doing anything he could to beat the man on the other side of the line? Well, that he knew. His work landed him on the Asian trade desk and launched a career he could hardly have expected when doing HHP courses on the Dunn Center floor all those years ago.

"I had to outwork everyone," he said. "But I was determined to make the most of any opportunity I had."

Okay, so not the traditional route for the job. But also the route someone like Caffee, with the confidence built by years of being a signal-caller, would easily assimilate to and take advantage of. He preaches making connections and building relationships as essential building blocks for any career, and is a living testament to such successes.

It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Caffee's professional career is one of high stakes and long hours; between he, his partners and their team, someone is on the clock 23 hours per day, five days a week, monitoring markets across the globe. Money—big money—can be lost and gained in the blink of an eye. It's a high-stakes grind, one he credits his wife and four kids for supporting unequivocally.

"I couldn't do this without them," he said. "Having that support at home is huge, and I make it a point on weekends to completely disconnect; no constantly checking my phone, no email. I want to enjoy the time I get with them, and like any profession you have to be able to recharge."

The kind of grind someone who spent long hours watching film, working out and navigating two-a-days during the hottest part of the year might be well-suited for. 

One thing Caffee places an emphasis on is giving back. With three daughters, he wanted to help pave the way with women's sports at Austin Peay; center court at the Austin Peay Beach Volleyball facility is thus named Caffee Family Court thanks to his contributions, and he's played a part in the funding success for Austin Peay football. The reason is simple: he wants them to have more than he had, and he sees it paying off for the program.

"I want to see how far these guys can go," Caffee said. "That program, how far it has come since I was in school, I'm so proud of what they've been able to do. It's huge for the school and I'm grateful to be a small part of it."

Got a Gov you want to feature in Going Pro In Something Other Than Sports? Drop me a line at wilsonrc@apsu.edu.