Having played eight seasons in the NFL, all of them in New Orleans with the Saints, what do you do after retirement?

Only one thing seems fitting: open a restaurant.

Culinary culture is huge in the South. It tells of the places and people we love. It also enhances the gameday experience. That’s where former Ole Miss and Saints running back Deuce McAllister finds himself.

Deuce McAllister’s Ole Saint Kitchen + Tap sits just off historic Canal Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter. According to the restaurant’s website, “designed to capture the warm ambiance of New Orleans, the decor embraces the essence of the city while featuring the memorabilia of Deuce McAllister’s career with the New Orleans Saints and Ole Miss Rebels.”

The cuisine is tapped as “Southern Coastal.” McAllister says it’s the perfect place to watch a game or enjoy a night after work.

“I think this is the perfect place where friends can gather to watch games, or where people can unwind and relax after work, whether wearing their favorite team jersey or a suit and tie,” McAllister said.

Back to the field, though. He was pretty good there, too.

McAllister hails from Ludlow, Mississippi right in the heart of the state. Born Dulymus Jenod McAllister, he grew up the second of four children. He was a standout athlete at Morton High School for the Panthers. It was in high school that the nickname Deuce was coined; his high school coach Terry Coggins came up with it. He says his favorite books were biographies of Bo Jackson and His Airness, Michael Jordan. Perhaps coaches saw glimpses of the former. “I always wanted to be the next Bo Jackson,” McAllister told New Orleans Magazine in a 2010 interview.

McAllister went north for college, to Ole Miss, where he broke every conceivable record for the Rebels. He’s the only player in Ole Miss history to record three seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards. He finished his career in Oxford holding records for carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, points and 100-yard games.

He was drafted in 2001 by then Saints coach Jim Haslett. He was the 23 overall pick. Though his career was cut short due to injuries, McAllister is the Saints all-time leading rusher. He had four seasons of at least 1,000 yards on the ground from 2003-06, a first in Saints history. McAllister was released by New Orleans in February of 2009 due to a series of knee injuries and the problems that arose from them.

He was, and still is, loved in the Crescent City, though. As the organization was embarking on its Super Bowl run in 2010, head coach Sean Payton brought the team’s all-time leading rusher back as an honorary member.

We’re excited to have [Deuce] back with the team, and to have him lead us out on to the field tomorrow,” Payton said in a statement prior the Saints’ divisional round game against the Arizona Cardinals.

In addition to all of the Ole Miss and New Orleans records he broke, you can add Super Bowl Champion to the resume. He announced his retirement in the midst of that playoff run.

Back to post-retirement.

McAllister is as much beloved now as he was when he wore the black and gold. The same goes Oxford. He still has close ties to the Ole Miss program.

In addition to the Ole Saint Kitchen + Tap, McAllister also runs the Catch 22 Foundation. He says he started in 2002 in order to give back to the community. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast region in 2005, McAllister expanded the Foundation’s mission.

“We’ve expanded it because there was so many more people who needed to be helped,” McAllister said. “We do a number of activities, including “Deuce Days,” where we take children into a business, let’s say a pizza parlor, and show how it operates, from making pizzas to running the register. We also have a football camp in Mississippi, and I hope to do one in the New Orleans area.”

McAllister says he still has a variety of opportunities, including television. The Deuce is now making his mark off the field.