Davey O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Robert David O'Brien was an American football
quarterback
in the National Football League
for the Philadelphia Eagles
. He played college football
at Texas Christian University
and was drafted
in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1939 NFL Draft
. In 1938, O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy
, Maxwell Award
, and the Walter Camp Award
. The Davey O'Brien Award
, given annually to the best quarterback in collegiate football, is named for him.
. He attended and played high school football
at Woodrow Wilson High School. While there, he was an All-State selection and led the high school to the Texas state playoffs in 1932.
at Texas Christian University (TCU)
in 1935, and was backup for Sammy Baugh
. He became the starter in 1937, and was named to the first-team All-Southwest Conference.
In 1938, O’Brien threw for 1,457 passing yards — a Southwest Conference record that stood for ten years. He had only four interceptions in 194 passing attempts, and his NCAA record for most rushing and passing plays in a single-season still stands today. That season, he led the Horned Frogs
to an undefeated season, as they outscored their opponents by a 269-60 margin and held nine of their ten regular-season opponents to seven points or less, including three shutouts. They finished the season with a 15–7 victory over Carnegie Tech
in the 1939 Sugar Bowl and the National Championship title. O’Brien was named to 13 All-America
teams and became the first player to win the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies in the same year. He was also the first Heisman winner from TCU and the first from the Southwest Conference.
in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1939 NFL Draft
by the Philadelphia Eagles
. The Eagles offered him a $12,000 bonus and a two-year contract. In his first season in the NFL, he led the NFL in passing yards as a rookie with 1,324 yards in 11 games, breaking his old TCU teammate Sammy Baugh's single season passing yardage record. In 1940, he again led the league in several passing categories including attempts and completions. The Eagles gave him a $2,000 raise, but he retired after the 1940 season.
In his professional career, O'Brien completed 223 of 478 passes for 2,614 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He also played as a defensive back
and punter and intercepted
four passes for 92 yards and punted nine times for an average of 40.7 yards per kick.
(FBI), where he worked for ten years. After completing his training, he was assigned to the bureau’s field office in Springfield, Missouri
. He was a firearms instructor at Quantico, Virginia
, and spent the last five years of his FBI career in Dallas. He resigned from the bureau in 1950 and went to work for H. L. Hunt
in land development. He later entered the oil business working for Dresser Atlas Industries
of Dallas. O'Brien also served as president of the TCU Alumni Association, a YMCA
board member, a chair of the Tarrant County
Democratic Party
, a supporter of Golden Gloves
youth boxing programs, and a deacon of University Christian Church. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1955 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
in 1956. From 1960–1964 he served as a color commentator
for Dallas Cowboys
television broadcasts.
In 1971, O'Brien was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove a kidney
and part of his right lung
. He died from cancer on November 18, 1977.
O'Brien's 1938 Heisman Trophy combined with Tim Brown's 1987 Heisman Trophy gave Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas the distinction of being the first high school to produce two Heisman Trophy winners.
In 1989, O'Brien and Brown were inducted together into Woodrow Wilson High School's Hall of Fame when it was created in celebration of the school's 60th Anniversary.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1939 NFL Draft
1939 NFL Draft
The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. In 1938, O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
, and the Walter Camp Award
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
. The Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
, given annually to the best quarterback in collegiate football, is named for him.
Early life
O'Brien was born in Dallas, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He attended and played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Woodrow Wilson High School. While there, he was an All-State selection and led the high school to the Texas state playoffs in 1932.
College career
O'Brien began playing college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas Christian University (TCU)
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in 1935, and was backup for Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
. He became the starter in 1937, and was named to the first-team All-Southwest Conference.
In 1938, O’Brien threw for 1,457 passing yards — a Southwest Conference record that stood for ten years. He had only four interceptions in 194 passing attempts, and his NCAA record for most rushing and passing plays in a single-season still stands today. That season, he led the Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
to an undefeated season, as they outscored their opponents by a 269-60 margin and held nine of their ten regular-season opponents to seven points or less, including three shutouts. They finished the season with a 15–7 victory over Carnegie Tech
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
in the 1939 Sugar Bowl and the National Championship title. O’Brien was named to 13 All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
teams and became the first player to win the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies in the same year. He was also the first Heisman winner from TCU and the first from the Southwest Conference.
Statistics
| Year | Comp | Att | Comp % | Passing | TD |
| 1937 | 96 | 237 | 40.5 | 947 | 5 |
| 1938 | 93 | 166 | 56.0 | 1457 | 19 |
Professional career
O'Brien was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1939 NFL Draft
1939 NFL Draft
The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Eagles offered him a $12,000 bonus and a two-year contract. In his first season in the NFL, he led the NFL in passing yards as a rookie with 1,324 yards in 11 games, breaking his old TCU teammate Sammy Baugh's single season passing yardage record. In 1940, he again led the league in several passing categories including attempts and completions. The Eagles gave him a $2,000 raise, but he retired after the 1940 season.
In his professional career, O'Brien completed 223 of 478 passes for 2,614 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He also played as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and punter and intercepted
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
four passes for 92 yards and punted nine times for an average of 40.7 yards per kick.
Life after football
After two seasons with the Eagles, O'Brien retired from football to become an agent in the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI), where he worked for ten years. After completing his training, he was assigned to the bureau’s field office in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. He was a firearms instructor at Quantico, Virginia
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
, and spent the last five years of his FBI career in Dallas. He resigned from the bureau in 1950 and went to work for H. L. Hunt
H. L. Hunt
Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr. , known throughout his life as "H. L. Hunt," was a Texas oil tycoon and conservative activist. He built one of the world's largest fortunes by trading poker winnings for oil rights, ultimately securing title to much of the East Texas Oil Field, one of the world's very...
in land development. He later entered the oil business working for Dresser Atlas Industries
Dresser Atlas
Dresser Atlas is a provider of oil field and factory automation services, formed in 1968 through the merger of PGAC and Lane Wells Company. In 1987, the company merged with Western Geophysical to form Western Atlas, and in 1998, Western Atlas was acquired by Baker Hughes, and, since then, was named...
of Dallas. O'Brien also served as president of the TCU Alumni Association, a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
board member, a chair of the Tarrant County
Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, a supporter of Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
youth boxing programs, and a deacon of University Christian Church. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1955 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Texas Sports Hall of Fame
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction in 1951, Texas became the first U.S...
in 1956. From 1960–1964 he served as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
television broadcasts.
In 1971, O'Brien was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove a kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
and part of his right lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
. He died from cancer on November 18, 1977.
O'Brien's 1938 Heisman Trophy combined with Tim Brown's 1987 Heisman Trophy gave Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas the distinction of being the first high school to produce two Heisman Trophy winners.
In 1989, O'Brien and Brown were inducted together into Woodrow Wilson High School's Hall of Fame when it was created in celebration of the school's 60th Anniversary.