Boston College head football coach Bill O’Brien took a break from recruiting and drawing up plays to speak to a packed audience in Hillside Cafe about the foundations of his faith.
“I wouldn’t say it was a strict Catholic house, but it was very faith-based,” O’Brien said. “My parents raised us to have a strong belief in family—how important it was to be loyal to your family, to understand the history of your family. They raised us to understand the value of education, and they raised us to understand the value of hard work and what that meant in your life.”
O’Brien spoke Tuesday evening as part of the Agape Latte series, a faith-based storytelling program sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century Center and Campus Ministry.
He began by telling the story of his life, focusing on his education, career, and family. He described a pivotal moment in his spiritual life from high school while attending St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Mass.
O’Brien explained how St John’s football chaplain, Rev. Tony Penna, cemented the importance of faith for him during a eulogy Penna delivered at a funeral for one of O’Brien’s high school classmates.
“I remember listening to Fr. Tony and how Fr. Tony described this young guy’s life, and how important it was to understand than the faith that you have when tragedy hits—when things happen in your life that are just absolutely terrible—that your faith in God is essential,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien then shared a personal story about the birth of his son, Jack, who was born with lissencephaly, a rare genetic condition that affects brain development.
“We had a doctor that told us this kid won’t live past two, and I don’t know where that doctor is now, but Jack will be 24 in August,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien explained how his son’s story serves as a reminder that life is unpredictable.
“Jack requires 24/7 care, mostly provided by my wife and some nurses that help us out, but I think that’s just an incredible story, relative mostly to my wife, of faith in God, of understanding that your life will take you on different twists and different turns,” O’Brien said. “Things in your life will most of the time be good, but I tell the guys at Boston College all the time, I tell the football team all the time, it’s really how you deal with adversity because life is about adversity.”
O’Brien spoke of the career changes he has made, and his transition to coaching at BC.
“One of the greatest things that I do right now since I arrived here on campus is that I go to Mass on Upper Campus,” O’Brien said. “And for me, that’s the time of the week where it kind of re-centers me.”
O’Brien responded to a question regarding his approach to prayer, saying how he used to pray for wins but now prays for the health of his team.
“I used to say, ‘Please God let us win,’” O’Brien said. “I don’t think God really cares about football—although, I don’t know, when we play Notre Dame, I think he’s on our side—but I do pray for the health of the team, the success of the team, to play well, win or lose, in a manner that represents peace in the right way.”
O’Brien added that he often prays to his son.
“I think about my son a lot,” O’Brien said. “My son has a calming influence on me, so I pray to him. I look at him as an angel on Earth.”
Throughout the talk, O’Brien discussed the connection between his coaching style and his faith, explaining that it gives him confidence when facing difficult situations.
“I think, in the end, [the key is] a consistent approach to life,” O’Brien said. “It’s what I talk to our guys about all the time. Having a consistent approach to life allows you to deal with these things in a manner where you can say, ‘You know what, I’m gonna come out on the right end of this,’ and I think having faith in God is a big part of that.”
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