From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ken O'Brien
Date of birth	November 27, 1960 (age 46)
Place of birth	Long Island, New York
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Sacramento State UC Davis
NFL Draft	1983 / Round 1/ Pick 24
Pro Bowls	2
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1983-1992 1993	New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles
College Hall of Fame

Ken O'Brien (born November 27, 1960 in Long Island, New York) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He was one of the six quarterbacks in the famed Quarterback class of 1983 and in 1997 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is an alumnus of University of California, Davis and Jesuit High School, Sacramento (1978).

Ken O'Brien played quarterback for over a decade in the National Football League. Taken with the 24th pick of the first round by the New York Jets out of UC Davis, O'Brien amassed over 25,000 yards in his 11 year career. In 1985, he led the NFL in passer rating. He retired after spending the 1993 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. After retiring, O'Brien had a stint as an assistant coach for the University of Southern California, where he coached Heisman Trophy winner and current Cincinnati Bengal Carson Palmer.

O'Brien holds a mixed legacy with analysts. While he certainly was not a Draft Day Bust, he never fully lived up to his potential. Also, the Jets of the 1980's were known for their fast starts and slow finishes as was O'Brien while he played. Given that the best years of his career seemed to happen early and that he increasingly became more erratic and less prolific as his career progressed, many cite him as a disappointment.

• Infamously taken by the New York Jets with the 24th pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, a mere three picks before Don Shula's Miami Dolphins took Dan Marino, who would go on to become one of the most prolific passers in NFL history.

• Ken O'Brien made a guest appearance on the television show Home Improvement in the episode The Eve Of Construction, as part of Tim Taylor's 'all-star' team of home builders, building for charity. As the episode aired March 9, 1994, it was just after Ken had played his final game. He stated that he played for 'whoever will take me' (though Tim cites him as playing for the Eagles).

• Was part of perhaps the greatest play in Joe Montana Sportstalk Football history when he dove backward at the snap, got up, realized no one was around him, and heaved the ball 80 yards in the air for a touchdown.

• http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/OBriKe00.htm

This biographical article relating to an American football quarterback is a stub. You can help by expanding it.