Francis Joseph O'Brien (April 17, 1936October 21, 1999) was an American football

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Cleveland Browns (1959), the Washington Redskins (1960–66) and the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

(1966–68). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

Early life

O'Brien was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

and raised in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, where attended Holyoke High School.

College career

O'Brien attended and played

Professional career

O'Brien was selected in the third round (35th overall) of the

1959 NFL Draft The 1959 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 1, 1958, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 21, 1959. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. With the first overall pick in the dra ...

by the Cleveland Browns. After playing for the Browns for one season, he was traded to the Washington Redskins and played for Washington from 1960 to 1966. In 1966, he was traded to the

, where he played for three seasons.

Restaurant business

After retiring from football, O'Brien owned and operated restaurants in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Washington, D. C., and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Personal life

O'Brien married to his wife, Elizabeth, in 1965 and they had two children. He died on October 21, 1999, of a heart attack at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D. C.

References

External links

*
O'Brien's Steakhouse
1936 births 1999 deaths Sportspeople from Springfield, Massachusetts Players of American football from Massachusetts American football offensive tackles Michigan State Spartans football players Cleveland Browns players Washington Redskins players Pittsburgh Steelers players {{offensive-lineman-1930s-stub