Charlie O'Brien

About

Former professional baseball player who earned widespread repute as an outstanding catcher, and famously served as the personal catcher for Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux. During his 15-year on-field career, he played for Major League Baseball teams including the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Montreal Expos.

Before Fame

He first started playing baseball, specifically as a catcher, when he was just 5 years old. He graduated from Bishop Kelley High School before attending Wichita State University, where he played college baseball for the school's team, the Shockers. He broke numerous records throughout his senior year, and even helped the team reach the finals of the College World Series in 1982. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB draft and made his senior career debut in June of 1985.

Trivia

In the late 1990s, he came up with a concept for a new style of catcher's mask for baseball players, inspired by the protective and shock-absorbent masks worn by hockey players. He collaborated with the Canadian company Van Velden Mask Inc. to fashion a prototype and in 1996, his design was approved by Major League Baseball. The model was called the All-Star MVP and became universally adopted by players and teams alike within just a few short years.

Family Life

He is the son of Charles Raymond O'Brien and Ann Kelley. He grew up with 8 siblings, most of who were also active in sports throughout his youth. He married fellow Tulsa native Traci Rodriguez and the pair raised 4 children together - two boys, and two girls. His two sons, Cameron and Chris, both went on to play college and minor-league baseball, with Chris even being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. 

Associated With

He caught for nearly a dozen winners of the Cy Young Award throughout his career, including Dwight Gooden, Bret Saberhagen, Roger Clemens, and Pat Hentgen.