Success in the Fifth Quarter
Business, Law, Vandal Football alum Adam Juratovac finds his way motivating today’s athletes for the future
Adam Juratovac ’09, ’10, ’12 is a multitasker. He can balance a high-profile social media presence, manage his own law firm, write for the NCAA and appear in a Netflix documentary — all while making the time to stop at In-N-Out Burger before a friend’s wedding.
Just like the popular California burger chain, Juratovac has a secret ingredient of his own. Surrounded by Ivy League tech moguls and innovators in Silicon Valley, he has three University of Idaho degrees: a bachelor’s and master’s in accountancy from the College of Business and Economics and a business law degree from the College of Law.
“Being a Vandal is part of my brand and history,” Juratovac said. “I found success not by adapting to the old way, but by building a new network.”
While the Palo Alto native was earning his degrees, he also played as a lineman on the U of I football team and helped the Vandals to victory in the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl. He managed the full schedule maintained by student-athletes as a Vandal and later competed for an Arena Bowl championship in the Arena Football League before a rotator cuff injury ended his dreams of being an NFL player.
Fortunately, his U of I education enabled him to switch careers after his playing days came to an end.
“I’m glad I had a fallback plan,” Juratovac said. “My law professors gave me real-world tools for a small campus. Now I take that education and apply it to the bigger community.”
Realizing other young athletes might not have benefited from a college education, Juratovac founded AthletesLTD, a multimedia educational platform that enables athletes to share their stories, develop life skills and use marketing tools to build successful post-sport careers.
Juratovac hosts social media workshops throughout the U.S. and gives advice to student-athletes on the NCAA webpage, sharing the lessons he learned as a Vandal player as well as strategies he developed while working with more than 100 professional athletes. He even plays a part in “Last Chance U,” a Netflix documentary series focusing on the football program at East Mississippi Community College.
“Having marketable skills after graduation is extremely important for young athletes,” he said. “Being an Idaho athlete and graduate taught me how to be a leader, and I’m lucky to share those skills with the next generation.”
Shortly after completing his law degree, he founded Juratovac Law to help other entrepreneurs start successful businesses like his own.
“Having marketable skills after graduation is extremely important for young athletes.”Adam Jurotovac ’09 ’10 ‘12
Article by Rosemary Anderson '17.
Published in the Fall 2018 Issue of Here We Have Idaho.