(from news release)
St. John’s University now has an interim athletics director, Dan O’Brien, to replace former director Bob Alpers, who retired in April after nine years of serving in that position.
O’Brien has been a coach and administrator for many years, most recently as a football coach at the Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minn. Before that job, he was football coach and director of community outreach and partnerships at St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights.
For nine years, O’Brien worked at the University of Minnesota as a defensive-backs coach for the Minnesota Gophers and special assistant to its head coach (2016-17), senior associate athletics director (2014-16) and assistant director of football operations (2008-14).
Before that, he was director of athletics for six years at Hamline University and at Concordia University (St. Paul).
O’Brien began his coaching career at Benilde-St. Margaret in 1987-89, then at Lakeville and Bemidji. He was defensive coordinator for the Lakeville football team when it won the state title in 1992.
In 2012, O’Brien was inducted into Concordia’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of St. Thomas and was its team’s defensive back and team captain for two years.
Dan O’Brien
