| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1923-03-11)March 11, 1923 Schulter, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | December 1, 2000(2000-12-01) (aged 77) Energy, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1941–1942 | Southern Illinois |
| Baseball | |
| 1947 | Southern Illinois |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1952–1954 | Southern Illinois |
| Baseball | |
| 1952 | Southern Illinois (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 6–20 |
William Edward O'Brien (March 11, 1923 – December 1, 2000) was an American football coach and official. He was the seventh head football coach at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, serving for three seasons, from 1952 to 1954, and compiling a record of 6–20. O'Brien was an official in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, from 1967 through 1983, officiating in Super Bowl X in 1976. He wore number 83 for the major part of his NFL career. He was also a professor at Southern Illinois University.
O'Brien was born on March 11, 1923, in Schulter, Oklahoma. He graduated in 1941 from Zeigler High School in Zeigler, Illinois. O'Brien served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War, retiring as a colonel in 1983. He died on December 1, 2000, at Cardinal Health Care in Energy, Illinois, after battling Alzheimer's disease for 13 years.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois Salukis (Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1952–1954) | |||||||||
| 1952 | Southern Illinois | 2–6 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1953 | Southern Illinois | 2–7 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1954 | Southern Illinois | 2–7 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| Southern Illinois: | 6–20 | 5–13 | |||||||
| Total: | 6–20 | ||||||||
References
- "O'Brien Named Southern IU Grid Coach". The Daily Chronicle. De Kalb, Illinois. United Press. June 25, 1952. p. 16. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "Southern Illinois Coaching Records". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
- "The Southeast Missourian - Google News Archive Search".
- http://siualumni.com/s/664/start11.aspx?pgid=350&gid=1
- "William E. O'Brien". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. December 3, 2000. p. 12. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
| Southern Illinois Salukis head football coaches | |
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- 1923 births
- 2000 deaths
- Southern Illinois Salukis baseball coaches
- Southern Illinois Salukis baseball players
- Southern Illinois Salukis football coaches
- Southern Illinois Salukis football players
- National Football League officials
- Indiana University Bloomington alumni
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War
- United States Marine Corps officers
- People from Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
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- Neurological disease deaths in Illinois
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