A two-sport standout during his years as an athlete at Towson, Terry O’Brien '75 was inducted into the Towson Hall of Fame in 1992.
A native of Bowie, Md., he enrolled at Towson after a three-year stint in the Marine Corps, which included a tour of duty in Vietnam. A place kicker and offensive lineman for the Towson football team, he set numerous place kicking records for the Tigers.
In 1974 he helped the Tigers post the only undefeated season in Towson history when he scored 72 points, an NCAA Division III record that stood for 18 years.
During that same season, he connected on 13-of-17 field goal attempts, a then-school record for kicking percentage. He also converted 33-of-42 extra point attempts. In two years as the Tigers’ place kicker, he totaled 90 points with 15 field goals and 45 extra points. He also kicked a 50-yard field goal in 1974 to set a then-school record.
“T.O.,” who also served as a student-athletic trainer during his undergraduate days, was a two-year performer for the track & field team. In 1973, he was the Mason-Dixon Conference indoor shot put champion, setting a conference record.
An outstanding student, he was honored as the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce’s Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1974. Upon graduation from Towson, he became a teacher for several years while serving as an assistant coach for the football team.
In 1979 he earned his master’s degree in athletic training/sports medicine from the University of Virginia. In 1980 he returned to Towson as the head athletic trainer, a position he held for 30 years.
O’Brien was a charter and founding member of the Maryland Athletic Trainers Association (MATA).
