Rick and Marty Lagina (not to be confused with the dimension-hopping duo) are a pair of brothers obsessed with uncovering a mysterious and long-lost treasure located off the coast of Canada. Acting as a fulcrum on the hit television show, “The Curse of Oak Island,” the brothers seek a bounty of relics supposedly left by the Knights Templar. If found, the treasure would upend everything we know about Western civilization’s discovery of the Americas. The Knights Templar were a holy order of knights that were instrumental during the Crusades, and speculation and rumors suggest that some of them may have survived and fled to the New World with artifacts in hand.
According to The History Channel, Rick Lagina was originally inspired by the folklore of Oak Island at the age of 11 from a 1965 issue of Reader’s Digest, and made it his life’s mission to uncover the secrets of Oak Island. Entering Season 9 in 2021, the show has been a decent success for the History Channel, and it currently has a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, what job did Rick have before deciding to become a well-known treasure hunter?
Rick Lagina had a much different job before Oak Island
It looks like before he picked up a metal detector and shovel, Rick Lagina could not even be stopped by the likes of rain, sleet, or snow. Originally working for the Postal Service of the United States in Michigan, Lagina was able to retire and pursue his lifelong dream. According to the History Channel, Lagina has always been one to go all-in on something — he sees the world in black and white, and is quoted as saying, “Once in, forever in!” That certainly explains why the Lagina brothers never seem to give up.
Rick was born on January 25, 1952 (via Biography Mask). The United States Postal Service allows for retirement around 55 to 57 years old, assuming the employee has spent 30 years with them (via American Postal Workers Union), so it looks like the moment Rick was able to retire, he took it. Considering that he had been dreaming about Oak Island’s treasure since his childhood, it would appear that this was his ultimate endgame. Hopefully, his singular focus eventually yields some definitive proof of his life’s calling.
And, as it turns out, Rick’s brother Marty had a pretty surprising career before the show as well.