Gary Lawrence Brackett is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
He was a walk-on to the
Rutgers University football team and by his senior year, he was captain of the defensive team and won the team's defensive
MVP honors, He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and played for the Colts for his entire 9-year career and won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears.
Soon after leaving the NFL, he decided to explore the restaurant world and founded the Brackett Restaurant Group, which boasted the successful Stacked Pickle franchise among its ranks. Stacked Pickle quickly became a local favorite in Indiana. It was voted Indy’s #1 Neighborhood & Sports Bar by multiple publications and swiftly grew to 10 locations within the state alone.
In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Gary has parlayed his genuine passion and enthusiasm for sharing his life story into a career in public speaking and coaching. He is dedicated to reaching those in need of encouragement and leading them in the right direction to achieve ultimate success.
In 2009, Brackett was the 11th annual recipient of the Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award, presented to an NFL player "whose contributions to the community and charitable organizations are especially outstanding." He won the award for his work with the IMPACT Foundation, a charity he founded in the spring of 2007.
In 2011, Brackett published
Winning: From Walk-On to Captain, In Football and Life, a memoir about his life, including his accomplishments and struggles with family, college, and the NFL.
Please join FEI Indianapolis in welcoming Gary for this engaging conversation.
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