Hometown hero leads Big Blue
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
Shaun O’Hara has accomplished many great things during his football career, not the least of which is making me root for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
A lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys, I’ve grown up rooting against the Giants. I also hate the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. I remember cheering for Tony Dorsett at Giants Stadium as a kid.
I didn’t root for the Giants in their other three Super Bowl appearances. There were many reasons to cheer for Big Blue in this year’s Super Bowl O’Hara gave me the only justification I needed.
O’Hara epitomizes what this year’s Super Bowl champs are all about. He’s a hard worker who never gave up on his dream of playing in the NFL. He wasn’t offered a full scholarship to Rutgers University, but worked his way into a starting position and became an All-Big East lineman.
He wasn’t drafted by the NFL but earned a starting spot on the Cleveland Browns, who took a chance on him as a free agent. He came to the Giants during a period of transition and uncertainty and stabilized the offensive line to help the franchise win its third Super Bowl.
”I’m so happy for Shaun because he wasn’t even supposed to be in the NFL,” said David O’Hara, Shaun’s father.
O’Hara never let that slamming door stop him. He left high school with determination and wouldn’t settle for anything but Division I football. His years at Rutgers weren’t great from a team standpoint, certainly nothing like now when the Scarlet Knights have arrived on the national map, but O’Hara persevered. He stayed the course and started his NFL career in Cleveland, where he spent four hard years.
Now he’s home wearing Giant blue and soon he’ll receive his first Super Bowl ring. He hopes to make it back to Hillsborough sometime this summer, likely for his annual trip to the Otto Gsell Memorial Golf Classic in July.
Maybe O’Hara can compare Super Bowl rings with former Hillsborough High standouts Ricky Proehl and Shawn Mayer. It’s amazing that three HHS products have won Super Bowl titles in the last eight years. Proehl has two rings, one each with the St. Louis Rams in 2000 and Indianapolis Colts in 2007, while Mayer won his in 2004 with the New England Patriots.
”Any school would be hard-pressed to produce three in eight years,” David O’Hara said. “That’s just unbelievable.”
O’Hara is proud to continue Hillsborough’s incredible legacy in the Super Bowl. He’s even more proud to be a member and team captain of the Giants, who capped an incredible playoff run by knocking off the heavily favored and undefeated Patriots in what many are calling the greatest Super Bowl ever.
”It was a huge game for all of us,” O’Hara said. “It was very gratifying for all of us on the offensive line. To win the game the way we did in the fourth quarter says a lot about the offensive line and our offense in general. I can’t say enough about our guys.”
The Giants needed a late drive and touchdown to pull out the 17-14 victory. That march included several incredible plays, including one for the ages that fans will be talking about forever. Eli Manning, the heavily scrutinized quarterback of the Giants, somehow eluded the grasp of several New England defenders and hurled a bomb down the middle of the field. Wide receiver David Tyree went way up in the air to make a sensational grab and held onto the ball while crashing down to the turf.
”I didn’t realize what a remarkable play it was until I saw it on Sports Center,” O’Hara said. “I was just doing my thing, trying to push them away (from Manning). I knew he was under pressure. I don’t know how he got free, but it turned out to be a remarkable play. That was a crucial play and an unbelievable catch.”
Manning made a few more big throws on the drive and finished it with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the winning points.
The Giants had to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots in the final 35 seconds to capture the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy.
NFL officials allowed family members on the field to celebrate with the champions. It was a happy reunion for the O’Hara family, who lived in Hillsborough for 13 years before moving to Texas. The entire O’Hara clan felt like champions of the world.
”We got to enjoy the whole experience,” David O’Hara said. “We got an opportunity to hold the Lombardi trophy. Anybody who has played football knows just how unbelievable that would be. I got to hold that trophy. I got a chance to live that dream.”
O’Hara was thrilled to share the championship feeling with his teammates and family. The huge O’Hara contingent also included his mother Lynn, brothers David Jr. and James and sister Jennifer and his fiancée Amy Wilbur. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
The whirlwind continued for O’Hara and the Giants once they returned home. They arrived Monday night, Feb. 4, grabbed a few hours of sleep and headed into New York City for a grand parade at City Hall and the Canyon of Heroes.
”It was spectacular,” O’Hara said. “I don’t think anybody was ready for the magnitude of that parade.”
The festivities weren’t over. The players and coaches made their way to Giants Stadium to celebrate with their fans at a rally. O’Hara had been back home for more than a day and hadn’t even gotten the chance to unpack his bags. Later in the week, he made appearances on “The Best Damn Sports Show,” EPSN TV and radio in addition to his usual spot on Sirius satellite radio.
”For the first time in my life, I’m tapped out emotionally,” O’Hara said after the parade and rally on Feb. 5. “My excitement juices have been worn out.”
Take a break, Shaun, you deserve it.