In a dozen years as a head coach and more than three decades in the coaching profession, Tom O’Brien has quietly become known as a paragon of all three of those qualities.  And because he unwaveringly and unapologetically expects nothing less from those around him, he’s added another characteristic to his reputation:  success.

    O’Brien is definitely a man of few words. Instead, he has let his actions speak for him throughout his life and career.  While many coaches use hyperbole and flamboyance to attract top recruits, he remains calm and reticent - a man who might say little, but whose words have import.  His players would probably attest to the fact that a word from O’Brien, or maybe even a look, has more of an impact than a lecture from someone else.

    While others may feel that in order to be successful on the field, they need to cut corners in the classroom, O’Brien has maintained his high standards by only recruiting players with the potential to be successful academically.  He has made academics the first prong of three in his goal for his program at NC State:  To be champions in the classroom, in the community and on the football field.  And while many coaches think of the community only as the fans that attend their games and donate money to their programs, O’Brien and his teams have reached out to people far outside the football and athletic world. 

    But for all of his high ideals and standards, Tom O’Brien is not a man who seeks the spotlight or needs the validation of others in the form of awards or honors (although he’s had plenty of those during his career).  In simple words, he is a man who is comfortable in his own skin.

    Personally, O’Brien would probably want to be known first as a family man.  His wife and three children are his greatest passion and despite the hectic nature of his profession, he always takes time to spend with them.  He is also passionate about the Marines and maintains close relationships with his former teammates from his days at the Naval Academy.  And finally, he has a true passion to make the young men under his guidance into better people, not just better football players.

    Wolfpack linebacker Nate Irving may have described his coach best:  “Coach O’Brien does a great job teaching us that being a championship football team requires hard work, but it can also be fun. He’s serious when he needs to be, but he likes to have fun and smile.  You just have to know when to be serious and when to have fun.  A lot of people don’t see that side of him, but I don’t think he cares.  He just cares what his family thinks about him – his family at home and his family that is our team. Most people only see the mean face on the field or the red face at the interviews.  They don’t see the funny side with him smiling and laughing.  THAT’s the real Coach O’Brien.” 

    Professionally, O’Brien has implemented a system for building a championship program based on his ideals and beliefs and is confident that the system will succeed  with time and hard work.  When the going gets tough, he just keeps following the plan, confident that by doing the right things, success will come in the end.

    At no time was that confidence more obvious than during the 2008 campaign, O’Brien’s second at NC State.  His team was decimated by injuries early in the season and entered the month of November with a 2-6 record.   But there was no sense of panic around the Wolfpack locker room - instead the coaching staff stood true to its plan and things begin to click.  The team finished the season with four straight wins and an invitation to a postseason bowl.

    That steadfastness in the face of trouble is a testament to O’Brien’s proud military background.  After his 1971 graduation from the Naval Academy, he served nine years in the Marines, beginning his football coaching career as an assistant for Navy’s plebe (freshman) team, then serving at the Quantico Marine Base in Quantico, Va., and tours of duty in California and Japan. He eventually reached the rank of major in the Marine Corps Reserve.

    In 1975, O’Brien returned to Navy as a Marine officer assigned to then-Navy head coach George Welsh’s staff.  In 1980, he resigned his commission and was hired by Welsh as a full-time assistant coach. But O’Brien didn’t accept before he examined all of his available options.  To this day, he credits Welsh with allowing him to interview with several major corporations before accepting the coaching position.  After examining all of his options, he concluded that coaching was where he wanted to be and 34 years later, he has no regrets.

    O’Brien spent seven years under Welsh at the Naval Academy, coaching the team’s tackles and tight ends and serving as recruiting coordinator. He was responsible for recruiting All-America and Hall of Fame running back Napoleon McCallum to the Naval Academy.

    In 1982, O’Brien followed Welsh to Virginia, where they turned the Cavaliers into a nationally prominent and successful football power. In O’Brien’s 15 years there, Virginia had winning seasons 12 times, won four bowl games and was ACC co-champion. O’Brien was the Cavs’ offensive coordinator in his final six seasons. During his tenure, Virginia consistently ranked among the top offensive teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1996, the Cavaliers scored more than 320 points for an ACC-record eighth consecutive year.

    O’Brien got his first opportunity to lead a major college program in December, 1996, when he took over at Boston College. There, he turned around a program that had been wracked with a gambling scandal and instability. After leading the Eagles to back-to-back 4-7 seasons in 1997 and 1998, O’Brien led BC to an 8-4 record in 1999 and the third-best turnaround in the IA ranks.  He then guided the Eagles to eight consecutive winning seasons and an NCAA-best eight consecutive bowl victories. He posted nine-win seasons in four of his final five years at Chestnut Hill, posting a 75-45 record and leaving the school with more wins than any coach in Boston College history.  Heading into the Eagles’ 2006 bowl game, BC ranked as the 18th winningest program of the 21st century (from 2000-06).

    Just as impressively, O’Brien’s teams were successful in the classroom. The American Football Coaches’ Association gave him its 2004 Academic Achievement Award for posting a 100 percent graduation rate. He received Honorable Mention status seven additional times during his tenure at Boston College.  BC was ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today when that publication re-ordered its 2005 regular-season poll and the final 2005 football Top 25 by APR (Academic Progress Rate) score to measure a combination of athletic and academic success.  At the time O’Brien left, BC boasted the highest success rate for football among any ranked team.

    Following the 2006 regular season, the job at NC State opened up and O’Brien jumped at the chance to return south to a large public institution where football is a centerpiece for students, alumni and fans. The recent upgrades to Carter-Finley Stadium and the commitment to building a strong football program cemented O’Brien’s decision.

    He brought to NC State his goal of building a championship program -  in the classroom, in the community and on the football field.  Before the ink was barely dry on his contract, the student-athletes from his team were being held to even higher academic standards, and the team was involved many community service projects in his first semester on the job.

    That championship attitude began to be exhibited midway through O’Brien’s first season at NC State.  After opening the season 1-5, his team pulled together and won four straight games, including a win over 18th-ranked Virginia 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 aforementioned 2008 season will go down as one of the most rewarding of O’Brien’s career, as his team became the first in ACC 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.  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.

    O’Brien and his staff have also relentlessly pushed the squad to become champions in the classroom. In the last three graduation ceremonies, 23 members of the squad have earned their degrees, and the cumulative GPA of the football team has steadily risen in his just first two years with the program.

    NC State’s football squad has also increased its community involvement under O’Brien.  The squad served a meal at the Raleigh Rescue Mission last spring and was involved with the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign this fall.

    O’Brien has been a visible and popular figure at Wolfpack athletic events and Wolfpack Club speaking engagements since his arrival in Raleigh. He has also focussed on the Wolfpack’s rich football history as he attempts to get former players involved with the program.  For the last two springs, he has welcomed back more than 300 former Wolfpack football players for a two-day reunion around NC State’s spring football game. An all-star collection of players – including former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, St. Louis Rams All-Pro wide receiver Torry Holt and 2006 No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams – have been on hand, with representatives from more than six decades.

    O’Brien received a community-minded Jesuit education at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, that helped him earn his appointment to the Naval Academy and has continued to shape the type of man he has become. At Annapolis, where he was a three-year starter at defensive end, he learned to combine his hard work with discipline and leadership skills, traits that prepared him to become a Marine officer when his football career ended.

    O’Brien has spent his career influencing his peers and his players. He has been recognized for his valuable contributions to the communities where he has served. He is on the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Foundation and has spearheaded a campaign at NC State that raised $17,000 for the program from Wolfpack fans last season, as well as 3,000 toys. He also received the John F. Kennedy National Award, given to “an outstanding American of Irish descent for distinguished service to God and country” in 2005. 

    O’Brien is married to the former Jennifer Byrd of San Diego, who is a member of the board of directors for Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ), a program whose mission is to provide spiritual and educational opportunities for young people from the United States to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ together with the people of Ecuador. 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; and Bridget Jean, also a 2005 BC graduate who is the Museum Coordinator for the Historic Charleston Foundation.

TOM O’BRIEN QUICK FACTS

COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Head Coach at NC State (2007-present); Head Coach at Boston College (1997-2006); Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at the University of Virginia (1994-96); Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at University of Virginia (1991-94); Guards/Centers coach at University of Virginia (1982-90); Tackles/tight ends coach at U.S. Naval Academy (1975-81)

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: College - Three-year starter at defensive end for Navy (1968-70); High School - Played at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.

EDUCATION: Graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1967; Earned a BS in management from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971.

PERSONAL DATA: Married to the former Jennifer Byrd of San Diego.  The couple has three children - Colleen, an associate producer at ESPN; Daniel, who is a graduate assistant football coach at Alabama, and Bridget, who is attending graduate school at the College of Charleston.

BOWL QUALIFICATION: At NC State:  2008 Papajohns.com Bowl; At Boston College (6-1):  *2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl, 2005 MPC Computers Bowl, 2004 Continental Tire Bowl, 2003 Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, 2002 Motor City Bowl, 2001 Music City Bowl, 2000 Aloha Bowl, 1999 Insight.com Bowl; At Virginia (4-5):  1996 Carquest Bowl, 1995 Peach Bowl, 1994 Independence Bowl, 1993 Carquest Bowl, 1992 Gator Bowl, 1991 USF&G Sugar Bowl, 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl, 1987 All-American Bowl, 1984 Peach Bowl; At Navy (1-2):  1981 Liberty Bowl, 1980 Garden State Bowl, 1978 Holiday Bowl

* - team qualified for bowl under O’Brien’s guidance, but he did not coach actual bowl game.