Ken O'Brien

Passing attempts:	3,602
Passing completions:	2,110
Completion percentage:	58.6
TD–INT:	128–98
Passing yards:	25,094
Passer rating:	80.4
	Stats at Pro Football Reference

Career highlights and awards
	2× Pro Bowl (1985, 1991); NFL passer rating leader (1985); Cal Aggie Athletic Hall of Fame (1990);
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:
Passing attempts:	3,602
Passing completions:	2,110
Completion percentage:	58.6
TD–INT:	128–98
Passing yards:	25,094
Passer rating:	80.4
	Stats at Pro Football Reference
	College Football Hall of Fame

Ken O'Brien
No. 7, 8, 15
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	November 27, 1960 (age 64); Rockville Centre, New York, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	Jesuit (Carmichael, California)
College:	Sacramento State, UC Davis
NFL draft:	1983 / round: 1 / pick: 24
Career history
As a player:
	New York Jets (1983–1992); Green Bay Packers (1993)*; Philadelphia Eagles (1993);
	* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
	UC Davis (1997) ; Quarterbacks coach; USC (1998–1999) ; Quarterbacks coach;
Passing attempts:	Kenneth John O'Brien Jr. (born November 27, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. One of the six quarterbacks in the famed quarterback class of 1983, O'Brien was the first quarterback in the franchise history of the Jets to finish with the highest passer rating in a season. He held the team record for most consecutive pass completions (17) in a game. In 1997, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.Contents Early life and college ; Professional career ; NFL career statistics ; Regular season ; Coaching career ; Personal life ; See also ; References ; External links ; Early life and college O'Brien played for Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California. O'Brien started his collegiate football career in 1978 at Sacramento State as a reserve. He played at the University of California, Davis under coach Jim Sochor. In his senior year, 1982, he was an NCAA Division II All-American. He led UCD to a 10–0 regular season mark and to the Division II championship game. He was ranked #2 in total offense and #3 in passing efficiency in Division II. He also won the Babe Slater Award for being the most outstanding male athlete at UC Davis. O'Brien was selected as All-Far Western Conference QB three times and was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.Professional career The New York Jets selected O'Brien as the 24th pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, shocking observers who expected the team to choose quarterback Dan Marino, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who was selected three picks later by the Miami Dolphins. The Jets fans who attended the draft, held in New York City, were surprised and outraged by the choice; O'Brien was so obscure that New York television reporter Sal Marchiano twice mangled his name while reporting on fan reaction to the draft. (O'Brien said after his retirement, "Who blames [the fans], right? Who, in New York, has heard of Cal, University of California, Davis? Nobody ... I'm not sure I would have reacted any differently. Heck, some of my cousins grew up as Jets fans. They were probably doing the same thing.") Don Shula, who coached the division rival Miami Dolphins (which drafted Dan Marino later in the round) famously asked "Who's he?" Years later, Mike Hickey, a Jets personnel director stated that O'Brien was chosen because he felt that he was smart enough to run the complicated offense of first-year head coach Joe Walton (hired after the firing of defensive-minded Walt Michaels), as O'Brien was reported to have an IQ of 130 to go along with an arm that would be ideal for Shea Stadium and its wind (the Jets moved away from Shea the season after drafting O'Brien to less windy Giants Stadium). Hickey also stated that the Pittsburgh Steelers (three picks ahead of New York) not selecting hometown Marino was a key factor and that the final choice was between O'Brien and Darrell Green (later chosen by Washington and a future Hall of Famer). In 1985, O'Brien was the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL, finishing the season with a rating of 96.2 while having the lowest interception rate; he was selected to the Pro Bowl that year. The Jets went 11–5 that year to reach the postseason for the first time since 1982. He went 13-of-17 for 149 yards against the New England Patriots with a touchdown and an interception as the Jets lost 26–14. O'Brien later led the NFL with the lowest interception rate in 1987 and 1988. On September 21, 1986, O'Brien engaged in a famous duel with Dan Marino when the Jets played the Miami Dolphins. The eventual 51–45 victory saw a combined total of combined for 927 yards and ten passing touchdowns, with O'Brien throwing for 479 with four touchdowns. On November 2 of that same year, he set history against the Seattle Seahawks. He threw for 431 yards while going 26-for-32 to become the first quarterback to achieve a perfect passer rating (158.3) while throwing for 400 yards. This would not be done again until Nick Foles in 2013. O'Brien did a second game with a perfect rating in the December 23, 1990 game against the New England Patriots by going 11-of-12 for 210 yards with two touchdowns. O'Brien threw 25 touchdown passes for the second-straight season and helped the Jets post a 10–6 record in 1986, but a sore arm bothered him down the stretch, which saw the team lose five games in a row to stumble into the playoffs. Pat Ryan (who won two games as starter) started in the wild-card round versus Kansas City, which they won. O'Brien only came in action for the divisional round game versus Cleveland when Ryan got hurt early. O'Brien went 11-of-19 for 134 yards while being sacked six times with no touchdowns as the Browns won in double overtime. O'Brien went to the Pro Bowl twice, in 1985 and 1991. He returned to the playoffs in the latter year as the Jets faced the Houston Oilers. He went 21-of-31 for 221 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions as the Jets lost 17–10. He retired after spending the 1993 season with the Philadelphia Eagles where he started only four games and mostly served as a backup for Randall Cunningham and Bubby Brister. Despite his occasional flashes with over 25,000 passing yards, O'Brien had a quarterback record of 50–59–1 as a starter, which saw him start over ten games for a team seven times while having a winning record just three times.NFL career statisticsRegular seasonCoaching career After retiring, O'Brien had a stint as an assistant coach for the University of Southern California, where he coached Heisman Trophy winner and former Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.Personal life O'Brien and his wife Stacey have four children, with his first grandchild coming in 2018. As of 2019, O'Brien works at IWP Wealth Management in Manhattan Beach, California.See also List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating ; Related Research Articles James Chadwick Pennington is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd, winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a senior, and was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. Pennington spent his first eight seasons with the Jets and was a member of the Miami Dolphins in his last three. Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 1986. Steven Leroy DeBerg is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 years. Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason IV is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. Taken 15th overall by the Patriots in the 1983 NFL draft, he was one of the six quarterbacks selected during the first round. Eason served as New England's primary starter from 1984 to 1986, where he helped the team make their Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl XX. Competing as the starter with Steve Grogan throughout his Patriots tenure, Eason was released during the 1989 season. He spent his final two seasons as a backup with the New York Jets. Kyle Erickson Mackey is an American football coach and former quarterback who played for the New York Jets, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also an Arena Football League (AFL) player, who played quarterback for the Albany Firebirds and the Fort Worth Cavalry. He played college football at Texas A&M University–Commerce from 1980 to 1983 where he was an All-American and led the Lions to the 1983 Lone Star Conference Championship. His father was Dee Mackey, a former tight end for the New York Jets. Todd Alan Blackledge is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, leading them to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 1983, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers and is largely considered a draft bust. Blackledge is a college football television broadcaster, working for ABC Sports from 1994 through 1998, for CBS Sports from 1999 to 2005, ESPN from 2006 through January 2023, and NBC since February 2023. Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the most in league history. He is also the only NFL player to have a passing touchdown with eight different teams. Adam Joshua Feeley is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, as well as his two stints with the Eagles. John Dalton Beck is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars, and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. He was also a member of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, and Houston Texans, as well as the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Carl Richard Todd is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1986. Like former Jets quarterback Joe Namath and Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, he played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Todd was selected by the Jets in the first round of the 1976 NFL draft with the sixth overall pick. Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Sanchez is currently a color analyst for NFL coverage on Fox and Fox Sports 1. Matthew Erickson Moore is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and Oregon State Beavers before signing with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Moore was also a member of the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins–Jets rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and has worked with them since 2014 as a special advisor. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning first-team All-American honors in 1981. Marino was the last quarterback taken in the first round of the famed quarterback class of 1983. He held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position, and despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized among the greatest quarterbacks in American football history. The 1983 Miami Dolphins season was the 18th season in football for the Miami Dolphins and they sought to return to the Super Bowl after losing to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII. It was also a turning point in the team's history, as in the 1983 NFL draft a young quarterback slipped to deep in the opening round, being passed over by such teams as division rivals New York who drafted Ken O'Brien and New England who drafted Tony Eason. With the 27th pick, the Dolphins decided to take a chance on Dan Marino. In the draft's eighth round the Dolphins also selected receiver Mark Clayton. The 1996 season was the Miami Dolphins' 31st season in the National Football League (NFL), their 27th overall, their seventh under general manager Eddie Jones and their first under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9–7, winning only eight games. The team failed to qualify for the postseason. Ryan Timothy Tannehill III is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, playing wide receiver until his junior year, and was selected eighth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft. Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Bryce William Petty is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Michael White is an American professional football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Florida Bulls and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. White was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent one season, before joining the New York Jets the following year. A backup during his first three seasons, White did not see any playing time until 2021 in relief of injured starter Zach Wilson. He later replaced Wilson as the starter near the end of the 2022 season before being sidelined by injuries himself. White has also played as a backup for the Miami Dolphins.References ↑ "Elway to Marino". 30 for 30. Season 2. April 23, 2013. ESPN.; ↑ Dave, Hyde (June 4, 2009). "Say what? Top 50 Miami Dolphins quotes of all time". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 13, 2009.; ↑ https://observer.com/2014/09/leaving-on-a-jets-plane/ ; ↑ https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39188247/new-york-jets-quarterback-ifs-super-bowl ; ↑ "Ken O'Brien Career Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022.; ↑ "Wild Card - New England Patriots at New York Jets - December 28th, 1985". Pro-Football-Reference.com .; ↑ "Miami Dolphins at New York Jets - September 21st, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com .; ↑ "Eagles vs. Raiders - Box Score - November 3, 2013 - ESPN".; ↑ "Wake-Up Call for the Jets".; ↑ "Ken O'Brien Playoffs Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .; ↑ "1993 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com .; ↑ "Chat Reel: Carson Palmer". Sports Illustrated. August 15, 2001. Archived from the original on February 10, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2010.; ↑ "Where are they now?". Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.; External links Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference ; This page is based on this Wikipedia article ; Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.; Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Career highlights and awards
	2× Pro Bowl (1985, 1991); NFL passer rating leader (1985); Cal Aggie Athletic Hall of Fame (1990);
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:
Passing attempts:	3,602
Passing completions:	2,110
Completion percentage:	58.6
TD–INT:	128–98
Passing yards:	25,094
Passer rating:	80.4
	Stats at Pro Football Reference
	College Football Hall of Fame
Legend
	Pro Bowl selection
	Led the league
Bold	Career high
v ; t ; e ; Sacramento State Hornets starting quarterbacks
	John Eaton (1956); Fred Scott (1957, 1959); Mike Flock (1962); Jay Stromgren (1963); Bob Miller (1964–1965); Lyle James (1966–1968); Mike Lippi (1969–1970); Larry Rodericks (1971); Mike Teresa (1972–1973); Fred Scaler (1974); Tony Thomas (1975); Rick Shrout (1976); Randy Cantrell (1977); Ken O'Brien (1978); Ken Broughton (1979–1980); Mike Sullivan (1981–1983); Greg Knapp (1984–1985); Angelo Oliva (1985–1986); Phil Hickey (1986); Drew Wyant (1986–1989); Bryan Pendergast (1988); Tony Trosin (1988); Bobby Fresques (1990–1992); Randy Payne (1990–1991); Aaron Garcia (1992–1993); Joe Garofalo (1993–1994); Tony Corbin (1995–1996); Tyler Jessee (1996); A.J. Bernhardt (1997–1998); Paul Carrillo (1997, 1999); Garrett White (1998, 2000); Ricky Ray (1999–2000); Ryan Leadingham (2001–2004); Blake Mori (2003); Kenan Smith (2003); Brad Tredway (2005); Chris Hurd (2005); Crosby Wehr (2005–2006); Tim Brockwell (2006); Marcel Marquez (2006); Jason Smith (2007–2009); McLeod Bethel-Thompson (2008–2010); Duncan White (2008); Jeff Fleming (2010–2011); Garrett Safron (2011–2014); Tommy Edwards (2011); Daniel Kniffin (2015); Kolney Cassel (2015); Nate Ketterigham (2015–2016); Nolan Merker (2016); Kevin Thomson (2017–2019); Roman Ale (2017); Wyatt Clapper (2018); Jake Dunniway (2019, 2021–2022); Asher O'Hara (2021–2022); Carson Camp (2023); Kaiden Bennett (2023);
v ; t ; e ; New York Jets starting quarterbacks
	Formerly the New York Titans (1960–1962)
	Al Dorow (1960–1961); Dick Jamieson (1960); Johnny Green (1962); Lee Grosscup (1962); Butch Songin (1962); Dick Wood (1963–1964); Galen Hall (1963); Pete Liske (1964); Mike Taliaferro (1965); Joe Namath (1965–1976); Al Woodall (1970–1971, 1973); Bob Davis (1971–1972); Bill Demory (1973); J. J. Jones (1975); Richard Todd (1976–1983); Matt Robinson (1977–1979); Marty Domres (1977); Pat Ryan (1984, 1986–1989); Ken O'Brien (1984–1992); David Norrie (1987); Tony Eason (1989); Kyle Mackey (1989); Browning Nagle (1992); Boomer Esiason (1993–1995); Jack Trudeau (1994); Bubby Brister (1995); Frank Reich (1996); Neil O'Donnell (1996–1997); Glenn Foley (1996–1998); Vinny Testaverde (1998–2003, 2005); Ray Lucas (1999); Rick Mirer (1999); Chad Pennington (2002–2007); Quincy Carter (2004); Brooks Bollinger (2005); Kellen Clemens (2007, 2009); Brett Favre (2008); Mark Sanchez (2009–2012); Greg McElroy (2012); Geno Smith (2013–2014, 2016); Michael Vick (2014); Ryan Fitzpatrick (2015–2016); Bryce Petty (2016–2017); Josh McCown (2017–2018); Sam Darnold (2018–2020); Trevor Siemian (2019, 2023); Luke Falk (2019); Joe Flacco (2020–2022); Zach Wilson (2021–2023); Mike White (2021–2022); Aaron Rodgers (2023–present); Tim Boyle (2023);
v ; t ; e ; Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterbacks
	Red Kirkman (1933–1935); Jim Leonard (1934, 1936); Stumpy Thomason (1935); Irv Kupcinet (1935); Glenn Frey (1936–1937); Jess Dow (1938–1939); Davey O'Brien (1939–1940); Len Barnum (1941); Tommy Thompson (1941–1942, 1946–1950); Foster Watkins (1941); Roy Zimmerman (1943–1946); Allie Sherman (1945); Bill Mackrides (1948); Jack Myers (1948); Adrian Burk (1951–1956); Bobby Thomason (1952–1957); Sonny Jurgensen (1957, 1961–1963); Norm Van Brocklin (1958–1960); King Hill (1962–1966, 1968); Norm Snead (1964–1970); Jack Concannon (1964, 1966); John Huarte (1968); George Mira (1969); Rick Arrington (1970–1971); Pete Liske (1971–1972); John Reaves (1972); Roman Gabriel (1973–1976); Mike Boryla (1974–1976); Ron Jaworski (1977–1986); Joe Pisarcik (1984); Randall Cunningham (1985–1995); Matt Cavanaugh (1986); Scott Tinsley (1987); Guido Merkens (1987); Jim McMahon (1991–1992); Jeff Kemp (1991); Brad Goebel (1991); Bubby Brister (1993–1994); Ken O'Brien (1993); Rodney Peete (1995–1998); Ty Detmer (1996–1997); Bobby Hoying (1997–1998); Koy Detmer (1998–1999, 2002, 2004); Doug Pederson (1999); Donovan McNabb (1999–2009); A. J. Feeley (2002, 2007); Mike McMahon (2005); Jeff Garcia (2006); Kevin Kolb (2009–2010); Michael Vick (2010–2013); Vince Young (2011); Nick Foles (2012–2014, 2017–2018); Mark Sanchez (2014–2015); Sam Bradford (2015); Carson Wentz (2016–2020); Jalen Hurts (2020–present); Gardner Minshew (2021–2022);
v ; t ; e ; 1983 NFL draft first-round selections
	John Elway ; Eric Dickerson ; Curt Warner ; Chris Hinton ; Billy Ray Smith Jr. ; Jimbo Covert ; Todd Blackledge ; Michael Haddix ; Bruce Matthews ; Terry Kinard ; Tim Lewis ; Tony Hunter ; James Jones ; Jim Kelly ; Tony Eason ; Mike Pitts ; Leonard Smith ; Willie Gault ; Joey Browner ; Gary Anderson ; Gabriel Rivera ; Gill Byrd ; Jim Jeffcoat ; Ken O'Brien ; Dave Rimington ; Don Mosebar ; Dan Marino ; Darrell Green ;
v ; t ; e ; New York Jets 1983 NFL draft selections
	Ken O'Brien ; Johnny Hector ; JoJo Townsell ; Wes Howell; John Walker ; Vincent White ; Darrin Newbold; Davlin Mullen ; Bobby Humphery ; Dan Fike ; Mike Harmon ; Stu Crum;
v ; t ; e ; New York Jets first-round draft picks
	Formerly the New York Titans (1960–1962)
	Brown ; Stephens ; Stovall ; Snell ; Namath ; Nowatzke ; Yearby ; Seiler ; White ; Foley ; Tannen ; Riggins ; Barkum ; Taylor ; Owens ; Barzilauskas ; Todd ; Powell ; Ward ; Lyons ; L. Jones ; McNeil ; Crable ; O'Brien ; Carter ; Faurot ; Toon ; Haight ; Vick ; Cadigan ; Lageman ; Bl. Thomas ; Mitchell ; M. Jones ; Glenn ; Brady ; Douglas ; K. Johnson ; Farrior ; Ellis ; Abraham ; Pennington ; Becht ; Moss ; Br. Thomas ; Robertson ; Vilma ; Ferguson ; Mangold ; Revis ; Gholston ; Keller ; Sanchez ; K. Wilson ; Wilkerson ; Coples ; Milliner ; Richardson ; Pryor ; L. Williams ; Lee ; Adams ; Darnold ; Q. Williams ; Becton ; Z. Wilson ; Vera-Tucker ; Gardner ; G. Wilson ; J. Johnson ; McDonald IV ; Fashanu ;
v ; t ; e ; UC Davis Aggies starting quarterbacks
	Paul Hackett (1966–1968); Bob Biggs (1970–1972); Mike Moroski (1975–1978); Ken O'Brien (1979–1982); Chris Petersen (1985–1986); Jeff Bridewell (1987–1990); Mark Grieb (1991–1995); Khari Jones (1992–1993); Kevin Daft (1995–1998); J. T. O'Sullivan (1998–2001); Tim Plough (2003–2007); Bryan Lee-Lauduski (2004–2005); Jake Maier (2017–2019); Hunter Rodrigues (2020–2021); Miles Hastings (2022–2024);