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Pat Duffy works on
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor as a commodities
trader. Photo by Joe Delulio
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Alumni
Accolades
Former Tigers
linebacker fills the gap on the Chicago Exchange Floor
By Teressa Tignor Gilbreth
“When you see that the S&P 500
is up two-and-a-half points, we’re the ones who made it
move,” Pat Duffy says proudly with the sense of awe and
amazement that you would expect from a recent college grad working
in a high-profile position.
Duffy, who graduated from the University
of Missouri-Columbia in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree
in consumer and
family economics, is a commodities trader at the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange. His neighbors at the exchange are trading
everything from foreign currencies to live cattle to orange
juice, but he sticks to index futures.
Many people would find his high-pressure
line of work intimidating and exhausting, but Duffy thrives
in the environment. “It’s really exciting to go
into work every day,” he said. “It’s so amazing
to just be there, not knowing what’s going to happen each
day.”
He credits his experience as a linebacker
for the MU Tigers from 1996 to 2000 for preparing him to endure
daily stress. He also played on the MU baseball team for his
first three years of college.
“The discipline and time management
I learned from being a student-athlete at MU has helped me tremendously,”
Duffy explained. “In my field it takes discipline to make
it. You’re not going to be around long if you don’t
have that.”
Sports have always played a big role in
Duffy’s life. Despite his busy career and life at home
with his “wonderful girlfriend and terrible cat,”
he is still committed to working out to relieve stress and playing
golf as a hobby.
Tiger Pat Duffy tackles an opponent.
Photo courtesy of the Columbia Daily Tribune
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“I learned through my athletic endeavors
when to be aggressive and take chances,” Duffy said.
His former professor, Rob Weagley, chair
of the Department of Consumer and Family Economics, echoes Duffy’s
sentiment.
“Pat is a great linebacker, and he
brings the same determination and self-confidence to any project
he attempts,” Weagley said. “He is sincere and warm
in his relationships with people, and he understands that pushing
your envelope of experiences in many different directions can
help you find the most fertile life-path.”
A Hemet, Calif., native, Duffy chose to
attend MU because of the sports and academics programs, as well
as the atmosphere in Columbia. “Columbia is a great little
college town and a really comfortable place to call home.”
Now a downtown Chicago skyrise resident,
Duffy can’t see himself living without Chicago’s
restaurants, golf and Cubs games.
He is self-employed and got his start with
the help of a mutual college friend and the resulting relationships
with his current business partners. A few years ago, Duffy didn’t
even know the Chicago Exchange existed.
“When I picked my major I thought
I’d stay in sports — in the financial end of things,
coaching, managing, running the front office; now I couldn’t
picture myself doing anything else,” Duffy says.
His advice to new graduates: “Don’t
give up. Expect a lot from yourself. Don’t just take whatever
job is offered to you upon graduation; strive to do what you
want to do and be true to yourself.”
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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