Career
His overall coaching record at SIU was 6 wins, 20 losses, and 0 ties. This ranks him 12th at SIU in terms of total wins and 16th at SIU in terms of winning percentage. O'Brien later went to become an National Football League official, officiating in Super Bowl X in 1976.
He was also a professor at Southern Illinois University. He died in 2000 after battling Alzheimer's disease for 13 years.