Professional Football Player, Restaurateur. A three-sport standout at Holyoke High School (football, basketball and baseball), he played football at Michigan State University and in 1959 was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns. He went on to play as an offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins (1960 to 1966) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1966 to 1968). During that time O'Brien took an interest in the restaurant business, and after his retirement from the NFL he owned and operated several successful eateries. The most popular was Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steak House in Washington, DC, noted as a hangout for politicians and for the free Friday night dinners it served wounded soldiers recovering at nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center. O'Brien died of a heart attack at the restaurant, which was then run by his son until it closed in 2006.
Professional Football Player, Restaurateur. A three-sport standout at Holyoke High School (football, basketball and baseball), he played football at Michigan State University and in 1959 was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns. He went on to play as an offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins (1960 to 1966) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1966 to 1968). During that time O'Brien took an interest in the restaurant business, and after his retirement from the NFL he owned and operated several successful eateries. The most popular was Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steak House in Washington, DC, noted as a hangout for politicians and for the free Friday night dinners it served wounded soldiers recovering at nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center. O'Brien died of a heart attack at the restaurant, which was then run by his son until it closed in 2006.
Bio by: Mark Wing
Family Members
Advertisement
See more O'Brien memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
