Penn State Football: Bill O’Brien’s Thanksgiving Day Message of Family, Team and Gratitude

The holiday question fit the Bill.

When Bill O’Brien was asked earlier this week by veteran beat writer Mark Brennan about what he’s most thankful for, his answer came easy and was immediate.

“I’m thankful for my family,” Penn State’s head football coach replied.

At home, that would include his wife Colleen, a former attorney whom he met while an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, and sons Jack, 11, and Michael, 8. No doubt his thanks includes four graduates of Brown as well — his parents John and Anne, and older brothers Jack and Tom, and their families.

O’Brien also included his team at the top of his Thanksgiving appreciation list.

“I’m thankful for this football team, these players. I really am,” O’Brien said. “I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy coaching these guys. I wish that some of these games had gone our way, but they didn’t. It is what it is. I’m very thankful to come in here every day and coach these guys.

“I’ve made some good friends here at Penn State and State College. I’m thankful for that,” he added. “But, mostly I’m thankful for my family and the guys that I coach.”

FAMILY VALUES

O’Brien’s values can be traced to his Massachusetts upbringing. In a February 2012 interview with PennLive.com, Tom – who is six years Bill’s senior and four years younger than Jack (John Jr.) – said his parents emphasized to their sons that they had “three gifts: faith, family and education.”

Bill spoke of those values in June, when he was the featured speaker at the Walt Whitman High School graduation ceremonies of his niece, Katie O’Brien (Jack’s daughter), in Bethesda, Md. The commencement address was about the qualities of a leader, and on that list was having what he termed “a good heart.”

“To me, this one is really important,” O’Brien told the high school graduates. “Continue to give back to your community. Pick a charity or an organization that is near and dear to your heart. Whether it is a church, an elementary school near where you go to college, special needs children — reach out to these people and give back. A lot of people out there are obviously less fortunate than us. It’s important for you to give back.”

The closing of O’Brien’s speech that graduation day is appropriate today as well, five months later.

“Before I conclude I want to share with you something that I think is really important,” O’Brien said. “Make sure that today, graduates, that you thank the people who have helped you along the way. Your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your teachers, your guidance councilors, your coaches and anyone else you can think of who has helped you get to this stage in life.

“As you go through life, you’re not doing it on your own. You’re doing it with the guidance and the help of people who are a little bit older than you who have been through these experiences already. So it’s really, really important to make sure that you thank them.”

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