Shaun O'Hara
Encyclopedia
Shaun O'Hara is an American football
center
in the National Football League
who is currently a free agent. He played college football
at Rutgers University
, and has been in the NFL
since 2000, having begun his pro career as a free agent
with the Cleveland Browns
. He has spent the majority of his NFL career with the New York Giants
.
He went to Hillsborough High School (New Jersey)
. He also spent some of his childhood in Medina, Ohio
.
During his time with the Giants, he was a resident of Rutherford, New Jersey
.
O'Hara is a three-time Pro-Bowler, playing as reserve Center for the NFC All-Stars in both the 2009
and the 2010
Pro Bowls.
after signing as a rookie
free agent in 2000. While a Brown, O'Hara started 38 of 54 games, including the final 34 that he played. He signed a three-year $5.4 million contract with the Giants on March 7, 2004 with the intention of playing Center, which he considers his more natural position, as well as to help bolster an offensive line that was often criticized as one of the problem's in the Giants' 2003 season
.
In his first year with the team, O'Hara's season was nearly ended by a case of athlete's foot
, which developed into a staph infection, raising further discussion about the incidences of staph in NFL locker rooms.
O'Hara re-signed with the Giants in March 2007 keeping him off the free agent market, despite initial concerns about whether a deal was possible. The Giants' offensive line has been viewed by some as one of the keys to the team's success, which was cemented following Super Bowl XLII
and in the leadup thereto, but was seen as early as 2005.
Despite initial impressions that O'Hara was not a Pro Bowl
caliber player, he was named a reserve in the 2008 Pro Bowl
, named a starter in the 2009 Pro Bowl, and to the 2010 Pro Bowl, although he did not play due to injury.
On July 28, 2011, he was released by New York and signed by Miami.
He was named Giants Man of the Year for his community involvement as well as United Way's Hometown Hero in 2005 and has also worked with a number of organizations to support the communities where he lives. In March 2009, he was honored by the American Ireland Fund as one of the most noted and successful Irish American
figures today.
In April 2009, O'Hara, along with his wife Amy, launched the Shaun O'Hara Foundation, whose mission is to increase knowledge and education for life-threatening diseases for which there is limited funding.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who is currently a free agent. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, and has been in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
since 2000, having begun his pro career as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He has spent the majority of his NFL career with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He went to Hillsborough High School (New Jersey)
Hillsborough High School (New Jersey)
Hillsborough High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students from Hillsborough Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hillsborough Township School District...
. He also spent some of his childhood in Medina, Ohio
Medina, Ohio
In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males...
.
During his time with the Giants, he was a resident of Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 18,061. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
.
O'Hara is a three-time Pro-Bowler, playing as reserve Center for the NFC All-Stars in both the 2009
2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
and the 2010
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
Pro Bowls.
Professional career
O'Hara's professional career began with the Cleveland Browns, where he played both center and guardGuard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
after signing as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
free agent in 2000. While a Brown, O'Hara started 38 of 54 games, including the final 34 that he played. He signed a three-year $5.4 million contract with the Giants on March 7, 2004 with the intention of playing Center, which he considers his more natural position, as well as to help bolster an offensive line that was often criticized as one of the problem's in the Giants' 2003 season
2003 New York Giants season
The 2003 New York Giants season was the team's 79th season in the National Football League. The team was unable to duplicate their 2002 season's playoff appearance, instead only winning four games and finishing the season on an eight game losing streak which cost head coach Jim Fassel his...
.
In his first year with the team, O'Hara's season was nearly ended by a case of athlete's foot
Athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses...
, which developed into a staph infection, raising further discussion about the incidences of staph in NFL locker rooms.
O'Hara re-signed with the Giants in March 2007 keeping him off the free agent market, despite initial concerns about whether a deal was possible. The Giants' offensive line has been viewed by some as one of the keys to the team's success, which was cemented following Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
and in the leadup thereto, but was seen as early as 2005.
Despite initial impressions that O'Hara was not a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
caliber player, he was named a reserve in the 2008 Pro Bowl
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC...
, named a starter in the 2009 Pro Bowl, and to the 2010 Pro Bowl, although he did not play due to injury.
On July 28, 2011, he was released by New York and signed by Miami.
Off-field activity
O'Hara is a member of the Giants' leadership council and was a team co-captain for the 2007 season. He is the Giants' team representative to the players' union and has been very outspoken about the role of the players' union and its leadership.He was named Giants Man of the Year for his community involvement as well as United Way's Hometown Hero in 2005 and has also worked with a number of organizations to support the communities where he lives. In March 2009, he was honored by the American Ireland Fund as one of the most noted and successful Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
figures today.
In April 2009, O'Hara, along with his wife Amy, launched the Shaun O'Hara Foundation, whose mission is to increase knowledge and education for life-threatening diseases for which there is limited funding.