Tom O'Brien (football coach)
Encyclopedia
Thomas P. O'Brien is an American football
coach and former player. He is the head football coach at North Carolina State University
, a position he has held since the 2007 season. From 1996 to 2006, O'Brien served as the head football coach at Boston College
.
in 1971, O'Brien served nine years in the Marines
. During this time he began coaching as an assistant for Navy's plebe (freshman) team, then served at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia
, as well as tours of duty in California
and Japan
. O'Brien reached the rank of major in the Marine Corps Reserve.
In 1975, O'Brien returned to Navy and joined the staff of George Welsh, coaching tackles and tight ends. When Welsh became head coach at the University of Virginia
in 1982, O'Brien joined his staff, where he remained for 15 years. During this period Virginia had 10 consecutive winning seasons and a share of two conference championships. O’Brien served as offensive coordinator in his final six seasons and consistently ran one of the top offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference
.
's 32nd head football coach on December 13, 1996, bringing his hard working, dedicated and disciplined brand of football to the heights at a time when it was sorely needed. BC was reeling from a gambling scandal that rocked the program and was coming off two straight losing seasons. O'Brien's first two Eagles teams responded with 4–7 records that included wins over Georgia Tech
and West Virginia
. He coached Mike Cloud
to the BC all-time rushing record and first-team All-America
honors. Cloud was a second-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs
while center Damien Woody
was selected in the first round by the New England Patriots and offensive guard Doug Brzezinski
was picked in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles
.
In 1999, three years of hard work paid off for O'Brien, his staff and players as they engineered the third-best turnaround in Division I college football. Led by Minnesota Vikings
' first-round draft pick and All-American Chris Hovan
, the Eagles registered impressive back-to-back-to-back wins over Syracuse
, West Virginia
and Notre Dame
to finish the regular season with an 8–3 record, a top 25 national ranking and a trip to the Insight.com Bowl
- BC's first bowl appearance since 1994.
The 2000 Eagles posted a record of 7–5, including an impressive 31–17 win over Arizona State
in the Aloha Bowl
. A total of seven players earned All-Big East honors and offensive guard Paul Zukauskas
earned first-team All-America honors. He was later chosen in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns
.
The 2001 season was a satisfying one for O'Brien as the Eagles finished 8–4 and ranked in the top 25 in both major polls, capped by a 20–16 win over SEC
powerhouse Georgia
in the Music City Bowl
. A 21–17 victory over Notre Dame
gave the Eagles two wins in three years against their archrivals. BC gave eventual national champion Miami
by far its biggest scare of the entire season at Alumni Stadium
as the Hurricanes were able to pull out a victory only in the final seconds. Running back William Green rushed for 1,559 yards and was the second-leading rusher in the country and a consensus first-team All-America pick. Green (16th, Cleveland Browns
) and offensive tackle Marc Colombo
(29th, Chicago Bears
) were selected in the first round of the NFL draft
, the first time two BC players were picked in the first round.
Over the next few years the team posted respectable win-loss records and continued to win bowl games. In 2002, BC went 9–4 and won the Motor City Bowl
, in 2003 they were 8–5 with a victory in the San Francisco Bowl and finished 9–3 in 2004 with a win in the Continental Tire Bowl. The year 2004 would be the Eagles final campaign in the Big East, and it finished the season in a four-way tie atop the league—a year in which they closed the season ranked #21 in both major polls.
BC won eight straight postseason bowl games, the first six under O'Brien, between 2000 to and2008. BC ranked sixth nationally in Student-Athlete GPA for 2004–05.
and tough road wins at East Carolina
and Miami
. Despite the slow start, his first Wolfpack squad went into the season finale with a bowl bid on the line.
The 2008 season will go down as one of the most rewarding of O'Brien's career, as his team became the first in Atlantic Coast Conference
history to start the season 0–4 in league play and finish 4–0. The bid to the Papajohns.com
Bowl marked the ninth bowl invitation in the past 10 years for O'Brien. His freshman quarterback, Russell Wilson
, became the first rookie in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named first-team all-conference at his position and it marked the sixth time in his 19 years in the league that a quarterback under O'Brien's tutelage was named the All-ACC signal caller.
In 2009, his team posted big wins over eventual Big East
champion Pittsburgh
and a third-straight win over North Carolina
, but was decimated by injuries and finished the season 5–7.
The 2010 season has been a special one for NC State's football program. After being picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division in the preseason, the Wolfpack finished tied for second, was one game away from playing for an ACC title
and was the third league team picked in the bowl selections. Tom O'Brien's squad is the first Wolfpack squad to garner nine wins since 2003 and has posted State’s first winning season in five years. With the Champs Sports Bowl
victory over West Virginia
, the 2010 squad tied the second highest win total in school history.
. He played football at St. Xavier High School, where he graduated in 1966. He went on to play collegiate ball at the U.S. Naval Academy
, distinguishing himself as a three-year starter at defensive end
for the Midshipmen from 1968-70.
O'Brien is active in community outreach programs and serves on the board of directors for the Marine Corps' "Toys for Tots
." He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. He was a major in the Marine Corps reserves.
O'Brien also owns a vacation home in South Carolina
where he plans to spend his retirement after coaching. He is married to the former Jennifer Byrd of San Diego , who is on the national board of Rostro de Cristo. They are the parents of three children: Colleen Frances, a 2002 Boston College
graduate who is an associate producer at ESPN
; Daniel Patrick, a 2005 BC graduate who is on the Alabama football staff; Bridget Jean, also a 2005 BC graduate who recently finished a year-long mission with the Rostro de Cristo program in Ecuador and is now a graduate student at College of Charleston
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player. He is the head football coach at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, a position he has held since the 2007 season. From 1996 to 2006, O'Brien served as the head football coach at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
.
Early career
After graduating from the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1971, O'Brien served nine years in the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. During this time he began coaching as an assistant for Navy's plebe (freshman) team, then served at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
, as well as tours of duty in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. O'Brien reached the rank of major in the Marine Corps Reserve.
In 1975, O'Brien returned to Navy and joined the staff of George Welsh, coaching tackles and tight ends. When Welsh became head coach at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1982, O'Brien joined his staff, where he remained for 15 years. During this period Virginia had 10 consecutive winning seasons and a share of two conference championships. O’Brien served as offensive coordinator in his final six seasons and consistently ran one of the top offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
.
Boston College
O'Brien became Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
's 32nd head football coach on December 13, 1996, bringing his hard working, dedicated and disciplined brand of football to the heights at a time when it was sorely needed. BC was reeling from a gambling scandal that rocked the program and was coming off two straight losing seasons. O'Brien's first two Eagles teams responded with 4–7 records that included wins over Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
. He coached Mike Cloud
Mike Cloud
Michael Alexander "Mike" Cloud is a former American football running back in the National Football League . He has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants.-Early life:...
to the BC all-time rushing record and first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors. Cloud was a second-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
while center Damien Woody
Damien Woody
Damien Michael Woody is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League...
was selected in the first round by the New England Patriots and offensive guard Doug Brzezinski
Doug Brzezinski
Douglas Gregory Brzezinski is a former American football offensive lineman for the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers...
was picked in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
In 1999, three years of hard work paid off for O'Brien, his staff and players as they engineered the third-best turnaround in Division I college football. Led by Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
' first-round draft pick and All-American Chris Hovan
Chris Hovan
Christopher James Hovan is an American football defensive tackle for the Virginia Destroyers. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College....
, the Eagles registered impressive back-to-back-to-back wins over Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
, West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
and Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
to finish the regular season with an 8–3 record, a top 25 national ranking and a trip to the Insight.com Bowl
1999 Insight.com Bowl
The 1999 edition to the Insight.com Bowl was the 11th edition to the bowl game. It featured the , and the . Colorado's 62 points were the most ever scored in this bowl game. Boston College would go on to win the next 8 bowl games after this.-1st Quarter:...
- BC's first bowl appearance since 1994.
The 2000 Eagles posted a record of 7–5, including an impressive 31–17 win over Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
in the Aloha Bowl
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its...
. A total of seven players earned All-Big East honors and offensive guard Paul Zukauskas
Paul Zukauskas
Paul Malcolm Zukauskas is a former American football player. He played college football at Boston College. He was drafted in the 7th round by the Cleveland Browns in 2001 NFL Draft and played for the Browns from 2001-2004....
earned first-team All-America honors. He was later chosen in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
The 2001 season was a satisfying one for O'Brien as the Eagles finished 8–4 and ranked in the top 25 in both major polls, capped by a 20–16 win over SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
powerhouse Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
in the Music City Bowl
2001 Music City Bowl
The 2001 Music City Bowl was the fourth edition of the bowl game held. It was played on December 28, 2001 at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee, and featured the Georgia Bulldogs and the .-Game Recap:...
. A 21–17 victory over Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
gave the Eagles two wins in three years against their archrivals. BC gave eventual national champion Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
by far its biggest scare of the entire season at Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately sixmiles west of downtown Boston. The stadium lies within the city limits of Boston, although its postal address is Chestnut Hill. It is the home of the Boston College Eagles...
as the Hurricanes were able to pull out a victory only in the final seconds. Running back William Green rushed for 1,559 yards and was the second-leading rusher in the country and a consensus first-team All-America pick. Green (16th, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
) and offensive tackle Marc Colombo
Marc Colombo
Marc Edward Colombo is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played college football for Boston College...
(29th, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
) were selected in the first round of the NFL draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, the first time two BC players were picked in the first round.
Over the next few years the team posted respectable win-loss records and continued to win bowl games. In 2002, BC went 9–4 and won the Motor City Bowl
Motor City Bowl
The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually since 1997. The first five games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Starting in 2002, the game was moved to 65,000-seat Ford Field in downtown...
, in 2003 they were 8–5 with a victory in the San Francisco Bowl and finished 9–3 in 2004 with a win in the Continental Tire Bowl. The year 2004 would be the Eagles final campaign in the Big East, and it finished the season in a four-way tie atop the league—a year in which they closed the season ranked #21 in both major polls.
BC won eight straight postseason bowl games, the first six under O'Brien, between 2000 to and2008. BC ranked sixth nationally in Student-Athlete GPA for 2004–05.
NC State
When O’Brien was named head coach in December 2006, he inherited a team that had gone 3–9 and lost its last seven games. In his first year, after opening the season 1–5, his team pulled together and won four straight games, including a win over 18th-ranked VirginiaVirginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and tough road wins at East Carolina
East Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
and Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
. Despite the slow start, his first Wolfpack squad went into the season finale with a bowl bid on the line.
The 2008 season will go down as one of the most rewarding of O'Brien's career, as his team became the first in Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
history to start the season 0–4 in league play and finish 4–0. The bid to the Papajohns.com
2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl
The 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl was the third edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was played starting at 2 PM US CST on Monday, December 29, 2008...
Bowl marked the ninth bowl invitation in the past 10 years for O'Brien. His freshman quarterback, Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is a quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. Wilson formerly played for the NC State Wolfpack football and baseball teams before transferring for his final season of eligibility in 2011...
, became the first rookie in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named first-team all-conference at his position and it marked the sixth time in his 19 years in the league that a quarterback under O'Brien's tutelage was named the All-ACC signal caller.
In 2009, his team posted big wins over eventual Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
champion Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
and a third-straight win over North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
, but was decimated by injuries and finished the season 5–7.
The 2010 season has been a special one for NC State's football program. After being picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division in the preseason, the Wolfpack finished tied for second, was one game away from playing for an ACC title
ACC Championship Game
The Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Atlantic Coast Conference each year to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game...
and was the third league team picked in the bowl selections. Tom O'Brien's squad is the first Wolfpack squad to garner nine wins since 2003 and has posted State’s first winning season in five years. With the Champs Sports Bowl
2010 Champs Sports Bowl
The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 28, 2010. The game matched up the NC State Wolfpack from the Atlantic Coast Conference versus the West Virginia Mountaineers from the Big East Conference. The game was scheduled for a 6:30 p.m...
victory over West Virginia
2010 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2010. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They were members of the Big East...
, the 2010 squad tied the second highest win total in school history.
Personal
O'Brien was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He played football at St. Xavier High School, where he graduated in 1966. He went on to play collegiate ball at the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, distinguishing himself as a three-year starter at defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Midshipmen from 1968-70.
O'Brien is active in community outreach programs and serves on the board of directors for the Marine Corps' "Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major William L...
." He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. He was a major in the Marine Corps reserves.
O'Brien also owns a vacation home in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
where he plans to spend his retirement after coaching. He is married to the former Jennifer Byrd of San Diego , who is on the national board of Rostro de Cristo. They are the parents of three children: Colleen Frances, a 2002 Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
graduate who is an associate producer at ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
; Daniel Patrick, a 2005 BC graduate who is on the Alabama football staff; Bridget Jean, also a 2005 BC graduate who recently finished a year-long mission with the Rostro de Cristo program in Ecuador and is now a graduate student at College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
.