Charlie O’Brien

Charlie O’Brien helped lead Wichita State to its first College World Series appearance during his senior season of 1982. O’Brien hit 25 home runs and drove in 116 runs as the Shockers reached the championship game, losing to Miami.  He was named first team All-American by the All-America Baseball News.

Initially drafted out of Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, O’Brien went to Wichita State and established a standard of excellence for Shocker catchers.  He was subsequently drafted by Oakland in the fifth round of the 1982 MLB Draft.

Making his Major League debut with the Athletics in 1985, O’Brien went on to a 15-year career in which he played with eight teams and established himself as an outstanding defensive catcher.

O’Brien was part of the 1995 Atlanta World Series championship team.  He served as Greg Maddux’s personal catcher during the 1994 and 1995 seasons when Maddux posted ERAs of 1.56 and 1.63, respectively, and won the Cy Young Award both seasons.  Maddux was among the eleven Cy Young winners O’Brien caught.

After getting hit with foul-tipped balls, O’Brien developed a catcher’s mask based on masks worn by  goalies in hockey.  It was approved by Major League Baseball in 1996 and became popular during that time.

For more, read Charlie O’Brien’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.