Tom O'Brien (football coach)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Date of birth | October 5, 1948 | |
|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| Sport | College football | |
| College | NC State | |
| Title | Head Coach | |
| Record with Team | 0-0 | |
| Overall Record | 75-45 | |
| Coaching Stats | College Football DataWarehouse | |
| School as a player | ||
| 1968-70 | Navy | |
| Position | Defensive End | |
| Schools as a coach | ||
| 1997-2006 2007 - present |
Boston College NC State |
|
Thomas P. O'Brien (born October 5, 1948), is an American college football coach. He is the current head coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Previously, O'Brien was the head coach at Boston College and served as an assistant at Virginia and Navy.
Contents |
[edit] Boston College
From the time O'Brien took the helm as head coach in 1996 until his departure in 2006, the BC Eagles attained a consistently high level of achievement, both on the field and in the classroom:
- Went to a school-record seventh consecutive bowl game and won its sixth in a row (27-21 over Boise State in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl), the longest active bowl game winning streak in the country. This victory snapped a 31 game home winning streak for the Broncos.
- 2005's team was the first since 1984 to be ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the two major polls from start to finish. The team finished 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, its highest finish in that poll since 1993 (12th). It finished 18th in the final Associated Press poll, its highest finish in that poll 1993 (13th). The Eagles finished 12th in the final Sagarin rankings, which take into account win/loss record and strength of schedule. According to the rankings, the Eagles played the 22nd-most-difficult schedule in the country in 2005. Only Virginia Tech (5th) finished higher in the Sagarin rankings among ACC teams.
- The team became the 11th in BC history to win nine or more games in a season; three of those seasons have come under Tom O'Brien. The 2005 senior class won 35 games, the most in the modern era of BC football history. The 35 wins also ties for the best four-year mark in school history (1939-42). The Eagles have now strung together the most successful five, six and seven-year periods in school history.
- The 2005 Eagles led the ACC in total offense, averaging 387.8 yards per game, and also led the league in rushing defense (90.8 ypg.).
- In 2005, Boston College was ranked number one in the country by USA Today when the paper re-ordered the final 2005 football Top 25 by APR (Academic Progress Rate) score to measure a combination of athletic and academic success. BC was one of six Division I-A institutions with a football graduation rate of 90% or better, along with Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Southern Methodist University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
[edit] North Carolina State
It was announced on December 8, 2006 that O'Brien would be leaving Boston College to take over the helm at NC State, replacing outgoing coach Chuck Amato. According to ESPN writer Mark Schlabach, NC State chose O'Brien over Navy coach Paul Johnson. [1] O'Brien's departure to NC State will represent only the second time in ACC history that a head coach has left one ACC school for another. [2]
[edit] Personal
O'Brien was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he played football at St. Xavier High School. 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.
[edit] External Links
- http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41952&SPID=3730&DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=722999&Q_SEASON=2006 - Bio from official NC State athletic website.
[edit] References
- ^ Mark Schlabach (2006-12-06). Sources: Wolfpack hire O'Brien over Johnson. ESPN. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
- ^ Aaron Beard (2006-12-07). N.C. State, O'Brien Close to Deal. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
| Preceded by Chuck Amato |
NC State Wolfpack Head Coach 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Dan Henning |
Boston College Eagles Head Coach 1997–2006 |
Succeeded by Unnannounced |
| Boston College Eagles Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Drum • Nagle • Lawless • Carney • Dunlop • White • Reilly • Kenney • McCarthy • Hart • Courtney • Joy • Mahoney • Brickley • Morrissey • Cavanaugh • Daley • McKenney • McNamara • Downes • Dobie • Leahy • Myers • Sarno • Myers • Holovak • Hefferle • Miller • Yukica • Chlebek • Bicknell • Coughlin • Henning • O’Brien |
| NC State Wolfpack Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Busbee • Gatling • Gatling • Riddick • McKee • Devlin • Keinholz • Whitney • Heston • Whitehurst • Green • Hegarty • Paterson •Hartsell • Stafford • Fetzer • Shaw • Tebell • Van Liew • Smith • Anderson • Newton • Feathers • Hendrickson • Edwards • Michaels • Holtz • Rein • Kiffin • Reed • Sheridan • O'Cain • Amato • O'Brien |
