‘We are better people because of him’
Ike assistant coach O'Brien to call it a career
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For Eisenhower assistant football coach Jeff O'Brien, the Knights' game Friday night might be bittersweet.
After more than 50 years as a player and coach, he is retiring.
There are few people who have more impact in helping to make a positive influence on a young person than a coach, especially in their teen years when a coach might be the only adult they interact with on a regular basis.
O'Brien, who is one of those rare individuals who succeeded at being a positive role model, started playing organized football in 1975, and in 1988 he began his coaching career as a player/coach for a British team, the Cambridge Cats, who began playing American football in three years earlier.
In 2006, he came to Eisenhower. Under head coach Jim Penley, O'Brien has coached the outside linebackers and offensive line for the last 20 years. A quiet, determined man outside of football, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for 15 years and can comfortably say he is an "old-school" coach.
"Jeff is the best picture of a dedicated, loyal, amazing, assistant coach," Penley said. "I have been lucky to have had a couple, and Jeff was the perfect lieutenant."
In talking to a few of his former players it became obvious to me that O'Brien was more than just their coach. Much more, in fact.
Jon Shelton, who played for the Knights (2010-2013) and now coaches alongside O'Brien, freely admits the influence he had on him as a person and player.
"The time spent being coached by him was tough, he was deeply passionate and held high expectations for the team and even higher of his offensive linemen," Shelton said. "At the time, I know we did not appreciate his passion and drive as much as we should have, but I grew to appreciate and understand where he was and continues to come from."
For O'Brien, one of the things he enjoys about coaching the most is watching young players develop and achieve team and individual success.
"They are capable of more than they realize," O'Brien said. "They just need to be taught that."
Added Penley: "Jeff just has a gift. If there were things that I could not deal with in the moment, he could take the plan and make sure it happened, whether that be in practice or on the sidelines during games."
For O'Brien, being prepared for the moments that are unexpected is something he taught his players.
For Conner Younger, who played under O'Brien from 2019-2023, being ready for those moments was a challenge.
"Playing for Coach wasn't easy," Younger said. "Being the only freshman starter on a team loaded with upperclassmen was hard. He put high expectations on me and all of the linemen. He didn't treat me like a freshman. At the time I didn't get it, looking back on it now, he knew I could take it. Those expectations made me better and taught me to be a leader."
Penley knows the value that O'Brien has to his program.
"A successful head coach needs to have guys on his staff that can promote the goals of the program to the players, and will always be honest with the head coach on what they think may need to be done," Penley said. "He is one of the most dependable people I have ever worked with."
When Shelton began his coaching career alongside O'Brien, it became apparent how prepared the latter was.
"After all these years, his passion has not waned," Shelton said. "That is apparent to me when I see him explain the how's and why's to players now. I try to carry that to the players I coach."
It is not always winning, but rather it is preparing to win that O'Brien instills in his players.
Noted Caleb Penley, who played for O'Brien from 2019-2023: "Coach O'Brien reminded us often that if we didn't want to win, then he wouldn't have expected so much from us and we would not have to put in so much work. But, of course, we never took him up on that. I learned to value those expectations rather than fear them. He prepared me to succeed then and in life by creating high expectations for myself today."
When O'Brien was asked the difference in coaching today than when he started, his answer appropriately fits all school sports today.
"When I started coaching, the season began on Day One," he said. "Today, you have to juggle the players' time, pretty much 11 months of the year if you want to be competitive. That's asking a lot out of teenagers, their families and coaches."
With plenty of free time in his future, O'Brien plans to take advantage of it.
"I have taken motorcycle trips to Nova Scotia, South Dakota, Utah and Florida," he said. "Next year I'll be riding old Route 66 to California, then up the coastal highway with an old friend."
O'Brien will enjoy time with his family and as well as his work with a private security company that works with the NFL and major events like the Super Bowl.
The influence he has had on those he has coached is immense.
"Coach taught me to be a person of integrity, discipline and purpose," Caleb Penley said. "He taught me the importance of fostering respect and accountability on a team."
It was no different for Shelton.
"He means more to me than he realizes," Shelton said. "He has taught me to hold myself to a high standard and to look to continually improve in whatever I am doing. I owe him a ton of credit for how my life has played out so far. What he taught me propelled me to a successful college career path and ultimately back to where it began. For that I will always be grateful."
Added Conner Younger: "I can't put into words how much Coach O'Brien has influenced my life. He he taught me and everyone that played for him to place high expectations on everything we did, to set high goals and then go achieve them. He taught me to demand more from myself and my teammates. I feel blessed to have played for him. The expectations he placed on me definitely prepared me to make the transition to starting in college. I just remember him telling me that he knew I could do it."
What will O'Brien miss about coaching?
"I'm not exactly sure," he admitted. "I've been involved with football one way or another for 51 years. For sure I'll miss the competitiveness of the game."
Will he return at some point?
"As a full-time coach? No, but if Coach Penley calls and asks me for some help, I will be happy to help in any way I can," O'Brien said. "The one thing that won't change is my loyalty to him and his program, even if it’s from afar. ... I will always be grateful for the opportunity to be involved in helping to shape so many young men's lives.
"I'll always cherish being addressed by "Coach" by players from long ago. I think it's awesome, and I don't take it for granted."
Coach Penley hasn't taken O'Brien for granted either.
"I've been blessed to not only have Jeff become an important part of the program here at Eisenhower," he said, "but also to call him a close friend."
Noted Caleb Penley: "We were all honored to have Coach O'Brien as a mentor and coach. We are better people because of him."