Roaring ovation welcomes Tom O'Brien into 2017 BCAA Hall of Fame

By John Fidler
October 8, 2017

The BCAA Hall of Fame class - for 2017 was inducted last night at halftime and was one of the best of all time. Headliners were hockey goaltender Scott Clemmesen who was in the nets for the Eagles dramatic 2001 National Championship win vs North Dakota. Joining Clemmensen among others were, Men’s ice hockey forward Bill Guerin, former Patriot center Dan Koppen and the all time leading scorer in Men’s Basketball history, Troy Bell. The biggest ovation of the night though was for former Head Football Coach, Tom O’Brien.

Speaking of O’Brien - the slide of BC football coincided with his departure after the 2006 season to take the job at NC State. Many of you speak fondly of Jeff Jagodzinski, but from my perspective, he was the beneficiary of the rock solid foundation built by O’Brien. Other than the backslide in year two of the Jags regime, we will never know what might have been, but there were plenty of reasons to believe it wouldn’t have continued.

The prevailing theory is that O’Brien departed over issues with then AD Gene DeFillipo (that wouldn’t have made him the only one) but the level of consistency, toughness and talent hasn’t been approached since.
O’Brien drove a lot of BC fans crazy, with consecutive 4-7 seasons in his first two years, but after that never had a losing record. The complaints mostly were around his conservative nature, breaking through what BC fans felt was a glass ceiling and leaving some big game win opportunities on table. It can though be argued that O’Brien is the greatest long term coach in BC history and without a doubt took this program to a level that we would all like to see it achieve again.

O’Brien spent a lot of his time as a lieutenant - for former Navy and Virginia coach George Welsh, which reminds me there are lieutenants and there are generals. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a lieutenant, but there is a next step to be the general. O’Brien was able to take that step, but BC has spent many years looking at lieutenants in search of promotion to general and whether it be Dan Henning, Frank Spaziani or Steve Addazio have missed that distinction more often than they have hit it.

Winningest Coach in Boston College football history

From Athletic Communications' "Nine To Be Inducted Into BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame"

Chestnut Hill, Mass. – Eight former athletes and one of the winningest head coaches in football history will be inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame this fall.

The athletes being honored are: Troy Bell `03 (men's basketball), Scott Clemmensen `01 (men's ice hockey), Bill Guerin `93 (men's ice hockey), Dan Koppen `02 (football), Colin McLane `92 (men's lacrosse), Kate (Antos) Mikkelson `95 (women's ice hockey), Erik Storz `98 (football), and Tom O'Brien, the former head football coach. Also inducted through the Veteran's committee is Henry Woronicz `42, who was on the 1940 championship football team.

The honorees will be inducted in a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 6 in the Welch Dining Room in Lyons Hall. The class will also be recognized at halftime of the Eagles' football game against Virginia Tech on Saturday, October 7.

Tom O'Brien (Head Football Coach):

Coach Tom O'Brien engineered one of the most amazing rebuilding jobs, as he led a weary program into one that competed in eight consecutive postseason bowl games, with seven straight victories. He became the winningest coach in BC football history with an impressive 75-45 record while five of his teams ranked in the Top 20. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, O'Brien mentored 23 assistant coaches, had 26 players drafted by the NFL, six first round selections and had 18 players appear in Super Bowls. He coached three consensus All-Americans (Mike Cloud, William Green and Jamie Silva) and three All-Americans (Chris Hovan, Matt Ryan and Paul Zukauskas). O'Brien is currently a college football analyst.

Former BC, NC State head coach Tom O’Brien named Navy color analyst

By Zach Barnett

June 29, 2017

Tom O’Brien is about to do his third tour of duty with the Navy football program.

O’Brien was announced as the color analyst of the Midshipmen’s radio network on Thursday, replacing Omar Nelson, who is now Navy’s football recruiting coordinator.

“After a 25-year sabbatical from the Naval Academy I am thrilled to return to Annapolis and be a part of the radio team,” O’Brien said in a statement. “I am honored that Chet Gladchuk thought of me for this position when it came open. Kenny and his staff have done a remarkable job over the last nine years and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the program again.”

O’Brien graduated from Navy in 1971; he also played three years on the Middies’ football squad as a defensive end. He served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps and then started his coaching career at his alma mater, coaching tackles and tight ends from 1975-81. He would go on to become the head coach at Boston College, where he compiled a school-record 75-45 record with eight straight bowl appearances from 1997-06. O’Brien left for N.C. State after the ’06 season, where he racked up a 40-35 mark from 2007-12.

O’Brien last coached as Virginia’s assistant head coach for offense and tight ends coach from 2013-14, where he was let go alongside Mike London.

O’Brien spent the past two seasons doing color commentary for ESPN3.

The Navy Radio Network is carried on 10 stations, mostly in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, but also in Jacksonville, San Diego and Seattle, and also on SIRIUSXM satellite radio.

Coach of the Year: Tom O’Brien

By Sean Ege

May 3, 2011

This year Tom O'Brien, head coach of the N.C. State football team, showed students and fans why he deserves to be Coach of the Year. The Ohio native who came to State in December of 2006 has improved the football program every year since his inaugural season, including two bowl games in 2008 and 2010.

The 2010 season has been a special one for N.C. 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.

The team finished 9-3 this year including its win over West Virginia at the Champ Sports Bowl. Tom O'Brien has coached his players to their best potential as can be noted with several favored NFL draft players, including one of the best quarterbacks N.C. State fans have seen in past decade, and MLB draft athlete Russell Wilson.

Believing in O'Brien

Tom O'Brien has more losses than wins as the head coach of NC State, yet he's managed to inspire confidence throughout the fanbase in his two years at the helm of the program.

By Austin Johnson

August 19, 2009

Tom O'Brien is 11-14 at NC State in two years and is almost universally beloved by the fan base.

In the modern landscape of college football, that's an odd combination, even for a coach that's still establishing a program. Especially at a place like NC State, which has poured so much money into facility upgrades over the last decade in order to compete at the highest level. It's hard to explain the enthusiasm for this team if you don't follow the program closely.

But it doesn't take long to see where all the optimism about O'Brien's program originates. It starts with his track record, which was nothing short of outstanding at Boston College. The 60-year-old coach took a small private school and made it a contender in the Big East and later the ACC. He won 75 games at the school before leaving, more than any other coach in the history of the program, and never won less than seven games in his last eight seasons. To top it off, he put together a string of six straight bowl wins – seven if you give him some credit for the team's bowl victory in 2006 just weeks after he left for NC State.

Of course winning in Boston doesn't do you much good if you aren't winning in Raleigh. And while O'Brien's record isn't as good as some might have hoped after two seasons, he's won the right games.

Specifically he's 2-0 against the Pack's biggest rival North Carolina. It started with a 31-27 nail-biter where the Pack jumped out to a huge lead only to fall behind late but win the game on a late touchdown run by Jamelle Eugene. But that performance was not nearly as memorable as the 2008 game to Pack fans, when O'Brien's squad walked into Chapel Hill and spanked the Heels 41-10.

“Winning all those games in state helps,” center Ted Larsen said. “As long as he keeps winning those games he's gonna be popular.”

Not only has he beaten Carolina, he's beaten up on the entire state. O'Brien is 6-1 against in-state FCS opponents, including unbeaten records versus East Carolina, UNC and Duke. His only blemish is a loss to Wake Forest in 2007. He racked up a 4-0 record against the state last year, prompting him to claim state superiority.

“We’re the best football program in the state, without question,” O'Brien said following the win over Carolina. “We are the state university and we expect to be here.”

That quote was exactly what NC State fans had been wanting to hear from a coach. It was one of the few times that O'Brien has put into words the confidence that he's demonstrated from the day he arrived. While some opponents might have seen it as boastful, it wasn't. It was a statement of fact with a record to back it up.

It's also the closest you'll probably ever see him come to bragging. O'Brien, with his military background, never seems to lose his composure or control of a situation. Cool and confident to be sure, but not cocky.

His style has earned him the respect of his players as well, even though many of them weren't recruited by O'Brien.

“I've been playing football for eight years and I've done a lot of stuff that in your mind doesn't make any sense,” Larsen said. “But everything we do with coach O'Brien, with everyone on the staff because it trickles down, everything we do is for a reason.”

O'Brien's team have improved as the season progressed, even as the injuries seemed to take some of his most talented players off the field. In his first year the team started 1-5, but finished 4-2. Last year they started 2-6 but finished 4-1. O'Brien believes this year's team should be even better and if history is any indication, a good start would mean a breakout year for the Wolfpack.

“They understand the language, they understand where they are supposed to be, and now they can go much faster,” O'Brien said at the ACC Kickoff in July. “And that's the key to winning football games, and we are getting more to that point.”

Ultimately, that's the key. O'Brien still has to win games. But its hard to look at what he's done so far and find a reason that suggests he won't turn NC State into a winner.

Tom O'Brien one of top three head football coaches in ACC

March 24, 2009

By Tom Dienhart



Seven of the 12 ACC coaches have been at their current jobs two years or less, and the heavy turnover in recent seasons has hurt the conference. That general instability has contributed to the league not being a factor in the BCS title chase of late. What's more, the league will undergo even more turnover in the next few years, with coaches-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher (Florida State) and James Franklin (Maryland) taking over at their respective schools.

But the ACC still boasts some of the nation's best coaches, headed by Wake Forest's Jim Grobe, Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer, North Carolina State's Tom O'Brien, Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson and North Carolina's Butch Davis.

Here's how they stack up:

1. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest
Let's just go ahead and say, it because it's true -- Grobe is great. Somehow, some way, he has made Demon Deacons football relevant on a national level. In eight seasons in Winston-Salem, Grobe has gone 54-44 -- he's 28-12 the past three seasons -- with four bowl appearances, including three in a row. His run to the ACC title and Orange Bowl in the 2006 season stands as one of the greatest coaching feats in the past 25 years. It's no wonder schools such as Arkansas, Nebraska and Alabama (among others) have made runs at Grobe.

2. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
Beamer is an icon. He's led the program to elite status and is enjoying sustained success. He did it all by giving the program a personality and persona known as "Beamerball," which emphasizes the running game, defense and special teams. It's difficult to believe Beamer was in danger of losing his job entering the 1993 season, having posted a middling 24-40-2 record his first six seasons in Blacksburg. Since then, Tech hasn't missed the postseason, has won six league titles and played for the national title after the 1999 season. He is 176-89-2 in 22 years in Blacksburg.

3. Tom O'Brien, N.C. State
There are few better coaches in the nation than the perpetually underrated O'Brien, who thrives on running a smart, disciplined program. He was 75-45 at Boston College from 1997-2006. Unappreciated in Chestnut Hill, O'Brien is starting to turn around the Wolfpack, going 11-14 in his first two years. He was at his best last fall, when he rallied the Wolfpack from a 2-6 start to four consecutive victories and a bowl trip. Expect a breakout this fall.

4. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech
We all owe Johnson a "thank you" for injecting a mega-dose of fun into college football with his triple-option offense. It turns out what is old is new again -- and effective. Johnson led the Yellow Jackets to a 9-4 record and Peach Bowl appearance in his first season on the Flats. The questions: How soon before other schools copy Johnson's offense? And when will he deliver his first ACC crown?

5. Butch Davis, North Carolina
Every ACC team's worst nightmare looks like it's about to come to fruition: The Tar Heels are rising -- fast. Thank Davis, who started paying immediate dividends as a recruiter. Now, Davis is working with a loaded roster that is gaining experience. UNC went 4-8 in Davis' first season and 8-4 in 2008. The next stop: an ACC title. Davis is an excellent motivator and leader who has built a good staff led by offensive coordinator John Shoop.

6. Bobby Bowden, Florida State
Saint Bobby's glorious run in Tallahassee should be ending in a blaze of glory. Instead, Bowden finds himself fighting to be relevant in what most consider a mediocre conference. Bowden trusted the wrong people at the wrong time, which is why FSU is still digging itself out of this morass. And it's also why Bowden likely won't catch Joe Paterno as major-college football's career wins king. But Bowden deserves plaudits for acquiescing to a succession plan.

7. Al Groh, Virginia
One of the most successful descendants of Bill Parcells' coaching tree, Groh has made the Cavaliers a consistently successful program during his eight-year run in Charlottesville. But Groh has been unable to get the Cavs over the top and deliver an ACC championship in eight years on the job and finds himself on the hot seat.

8. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland
Retirement is drawing near for "The Fridge," who has three years left on his contract. Until then, Friedgen is looking to cap his career in College Park with a flourish. He has been unable to recapture the magic of his Maryland debut in 2001, when he led the Terps to the ACC title and an Orange Bowl berth. Back-to-back second-place finishes followed. Since then, the program has been mired in mediocrity. No doubt, a fresh approach may be just what is needed.

9. David Cutcliffe, Duke
Yes, his Durham debut produced just a 4-8 mark (1-7 in the ACC), but there were tangible signs of progress for Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe is an offensive mastermind who proved he could coach during a successful six-year run at Ole Miss that produced a 44-29 record (25-23 in the SEC) and four bowls. The true measure of success will be if he also can build a good defense.

10. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Swinney auditioned for the job last fall when he took over for Tommy Bowden with seven games remaining. Swinney guided the Tigers to a 4-3 record and a berth in the Gator Bowl, which was enough to get him the full-time gig. Swinney went on to sign a strong collection of recruits while also overhauling the staff.

11. Randy Shannon, Miami
The jury is out on Shannon, who is still learning on the job. Shannon faces pressure as he enters his third season in Coral Gables, and he'll do so with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. The good news: Shannon has recruited as well as anyone in the ACC the past few years. He's the ultimate player's coach who has restored discipline and honor.

12. Frank Spaziani, Boston College
If you're scoring at home, this is three coaches in four seasons for BC. Following the Jeff Jagodzinski fiasco, look for Spaziani to remain in Chestnut Hill as long as the Eagles want him. He's a BC guy, having been on the staff since 1997. Spaziani has never been a head coach before, but the longtime defensive coordinator learned under one of the best in O'Brien. It still remains to be seen how Spaziani will perform on Saturdays.