John O’Brien  earned All-American honors for basketball in 1937 and 1938 at Columbia University. He played professionally for a dozen years including  several seasons  in the American Basketball League. His father, John O’Brien Sr. was founder and the long-time president of the league. In the late 1940’s, O’Brien became a player-coach for the Hartford Hurricanes in the New England Basketball League. After his retirement as a player, he was a basketball referee for 30 years, working games at every level from high school  to college to the NBA. He also officiated football games for 40 years and was honored in 1991 by the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. In 1972, he was inducted into the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 athletes of the first half of the 20th Century.

 

JOHN O’BRIEN		Height:	6:01		Weight:	180			College:		Columbia’38
John Jeremiah O’Brien Jr.		Born: Jul 25, 1916			Died:  Jun 18, 1994				Hometown:		New York, NY
Son of Basketball Executive John O’Brien				REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1934-35	Columbia	College
1935-36	Columbia	College
1936-37	Columbia	College
1937-38	Columbia	College
1938-39	Brooklyn	ABL	27	41	48				130	4.8
1939-40	Baltimore	ABL	27	35	16				86	3.2
1940-41	Baltimore	ABL	2	2	1				5	2.5
1940-41	Troy	NYSL	10	37	26				100	10.0
1941-42	Akron Goodyears	NBL	7	5	7				17	2.4
1941-42	Pittsfield	NYSL	6	8	10				26	4.3
1941-42	Schuylkill Haven	TCL	9	24	14				62	6.9
1941-42	Bridgeport Newfields	CSL	2	7	3				17	8.5
1942-43	Akron Goodyears	Indep
1942-43	Akron Collegians	Indep
1942-44	U.S. Army	Military Service
1944-45	Washington/Paterson–New York	ABL	15	39	18				96	6.4
1944-45	Hartford Pros	Indep
1945-46	Dunmore-Scranton	PSL	15	15	20				50	3.3
1945-46	Hartford	NEBL	17	45	28				118	6.9
1946-47	Hartford	NEBL	24	56	17				129	5.4
1947-48	Hartford	NEBL	1	1	0				2	2.0
1947-48	Hartford	ABL	10	5	3	6	.500		13	1.3
1947-48	Wallingford	ECL
1948-49	Hartford	ABL	10	6	7	10	.700		19	1.9
1949-50	Hartford	ABL	1	0	0	1	.000	0	0	0.0
	Major League Totals		78	122	90				334	4.3
				PLAYOFF RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1939-40	Baltimore	ABL	7	5	2				12	1.7
1940-41	Troy	NYSL	2	3	3				9	4.5
1941-42	Akron Goodyears	NBL	3	2	7				11	3.7
1942-43	Akron Collegians	WBT	1	2	0	0	.000		4	4.0
1945-46	Scranton	PSL	1	0	0				0	0.0
1946-47	Scranton	PSL	3	4	3				11	3.7
	Major League Totals		11	9	9				27	2.5

 

Michael Joseph Hogan  (aka Shamus O’Brien) was was one of the most popular athletes in Yonkers, New York throughout the teens and twenties. In 1906, when he was sixteen years old, he emigrated from Ireland with the promise of a job in a Yonkers carpet factory. Soon after his arrival, Hogan started boxing in local sporting clubs under the name “Shamus O’Brien” and soon moved into the professional ranks were he remained active until the late 1920’s.

 

SHAMUS O’BRIEN		Height:	5:07		Weight:		140		College:		None
Michael Joseph Hogan		Born:	Aug 5,	1890	Died:		Apr 13,	1959	Hometown:		Yonkers, NY
					REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1922-23	Yonkers	MBL	2	3	2				8	4.0
	Major League Totals		2	3	2				8	4.0

During Bill O’Brien’s three varsity seasons at Loyola University in Chicago, The Maroon and Gold compiled a 51-12 record. In his senior, Loyola made it to the championship game of the National Invitational Tournament, but lost to L.I.U, ending a 21 game win streak. O’Brien played professional basketball for just one season, before he joined the F.B.I. for service during World War II.

 

BILL O’BRIEN		Height:	6:04		Weight:	185			College:		Loyola(Ill)’39
William O’Brien		Born: Nov 13, 1917			Died: May 6, 1985				Hometown:		Chicago, Ill.
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
	Loyola (Ill) (Frosh)	College
	Loyola (Ill)	College
	Loyola (Ill)	College
1938-39	Loyola (Ill)	College
1939-40	Chicago LaSalle Cavaliers	Indep
1940-41	Chicago	NBL	19	5	10				20	1.1
	Major League Totals		19	5	10				20	1.1
			POST SESON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1940-41	Chicago	WBT	2	4	0	0	.000		8	4.0
	Major League Totals		2	4	0	0	.000		8	4.0