Harry J. O'Brien

Harry Joseph O'Brien (October 31, 1884 – August 23, 1955),^[1][2] nicknamed "Shorty", was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He was the fifth head football coach at The Citadel, serving for five seasons, from 1916 to 1918 and from 1920 to 1921, compiling a record of 14–15–4.^[3] O'Brien also coached basketball and baseball for The Citadel for two seasons during World War I. He tallied a record of 6–2 in basketball and 3–9 in baseball.^[4] O'Brien died of coronary thrombosis on August 23, 1955, at his home in Philadelphia.^[5][6]

Harry J. O'Brien

Biographical details
Born	(1884-10-31)October 31, 1884 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 23, 1955(1955-08-23) (aged 71) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
Football
c. 1907–1909	Swarthmore
Position(s)	Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1914–1915	Gettysburg
1916–1918	The Citadel
1920–1921	The Citadel
1922–1925	Drexel
Basketball
1914–1916	Gettysburg
1916–1918	The Citadel
1922–1925	Drexel
Baseball
1917–1918	The Citadel
Head coaching record
Overall	25–51–6 (football) 42–37 (basketball) 3–9 (baseball)

Head coaching record

Football

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Gettysburg Bullets (Independent) (1914–1915)
1914	Gettysburg	1–6–2
1915	Gettysburg	3–6
Gettysburg:		4–12–2
The Citadel Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1916–1918)
1916	The Citadel	6–1–1	4–1
1917	The Citadel	3–3	1–3
1918	The Citadel	0–2–1	0–1–1
The Citadel Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1920–1921)
1920	The Citadel	2–6	1–5
1921	The Citadel	3–3–2	2–3–1
The Citadel:		14–15–4	8–13–2
Drexel Dragons (Independent) (1922–1925)
1922	Drexel	2–4
1923	Drexel	2–6
1924	Drexel	2–7
1925	Drexel	1–7
Drexel:		7–24
Total:		25–51–6

See also

• List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure

References

1. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
2. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
3. Citadel Coaching Records Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
4. The Citadel Basketball 2010–11 Media Guide Archived July 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
5. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966
6. "Shorty O'Brien Dies". The Evening Sun. Hanover, Pennsylvania. August 26, 1955. p. 18. Retrieved September 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .