Shaun O'Hara (born June 23, 1977) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
center for 11 seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He started in the NFL by signing as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, and spent the majority of his career with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. He was a three-time
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
selection.
Early life
O'Hara grew up in
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey and attended
Hillsborough High School (New Jersey). He also spent some of his childhood in
Medina, Ohio
Medina ( ) is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies about south of Cleveland and west of Akron, Ohio, Akron within the Cleveland met ...
.
College career
He attended
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
in New Jersey, where he walked on and played for the
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining t ...
team from 1995 to 1999.
Professional career
O'Hara's career began with the Cleveland Browns, where he played center and guard and after signing as a
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
free agent in 2000.
While a Brown, O'Hara started 38 of 54 games, including the final 34 that he played. He signed a three-year $5.4 million contract with the Giants on March 7, 2004, with the intention of playing center, which he considers his more natural position,
as well as to help bolster an
offensive line
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
that was often criticized as one of the problems in the
Giants' 2003 season.
In his first year with the team, O'Hara's season was nearly ended by a case of
athlete's foot
Athlete's foot, known medically as ''tinea pedis'', is a common skin infection of the feet caused by a fungus. Signs and symptoms often include itching, scaling, cracking and redness. In rare cases the skin may blister. Athlete's foot fungus ...
, which developed into a
staph infection, raising discussion about the presence of staph in NFL locker rooms.
O'Hara re-signed with the Giants in March 2007 keeping him off the free agent market,
despite initial concerns about whether a deal was possible.
[ ] The Giants' offensive line has been viewed by some as one of the keys to the team's success,
which was cemented following
Super Bowl XLII and in the leadup thereto,
but was seen as early as 2005.
Despite initial impressions that O'Hara was not a
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
caliber player,
he was named a reserve in the
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2007 NFL season, 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by NFL on Fox, Fox and b ...
, named a starter in the 2009 Pro Bowl, and to the 2010 Pro Bowl, although he did not play due to injury.
On July 28, 2011, he was released by the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
.
Shaun O'Hara officially announced his retirement as a New York Giant on September 3, 2012. He is now a color analyst for
NFL Network
NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...
and
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
, and a regular fill-in host for
Good Morning Football. Since 2022, he has been the co-host of the Eli Manning Show on the Giants' Youtube channel.
Off-field activity
O'Hara was a member of the Giants' leadership council and was a team co-captain for the 2007 season.
He was also the Giants' team representative to the players' union and was very outspoken about the role of the players' union and its leadership.
He was named Giants Man of the Year for his community involvement as well as
United Way's Hometown Hero in 2005
[Player - Shaun O'Hara - Giants.com](_blank)
and has also worked with a number of organizations to support the communities where he lives.
In March 2009, he was honored by the
American Ireland Fund as one of the most noted and successful
Irish American
Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry.
Irish immigration to the United States
From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
figures today.
In April 2009, O'Hara, along with his wife Amy, launched the Shaun O'Hara Foundation, whose mission is to increase knowledge and education for life-threatening diseases for which there is limited funding.
References
External links
New York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Shaun
1977 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Medina, Ohio
Sportspeople from Rutherford, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Chicago Heights, Illinois
Players of American football from Bergen County, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Players of American football from Somerset County, New Jersey
Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois
American football centers
Hillsborough High School (New Jersey) alumni
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players
Cleveland Browns players
New York Giants players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
NFL announcers
Alliance of American Football announcers