O’Hara happy to be home for big game
On a recent Friday night, Pat O’Hara was sitting in his office at the Houston Texans headquarters, juggling his duties as an NFL quarterbacks coach while watching his sons Tyler and Trace during their game at Orlando’s East River High School via live video stream.
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien walked by and poked his head in, asking what he was doing. Then another coach wandered in.
Next thing Pat O’Hara knew he had an impromptu audience joining him.
“It was pretty cool, sitting there watching the game with Coach O’Brien,” said O’Hara, who has been on staff with the Texans since 2015.
He won’t have to watch via live stream tonight when Tyler, a senior quarterback, and Trace, a sophomore defensive end, take the field at Lake Nona in a game that will decide the Class 7A, District 5 championship. With the Texans on their NFL bye week this week, O’Hara took advantage and returned home. He will be in the crowd tonight.
Pat plans to also fly back to be at senior night next Friday at East River, but it’s rare that he is able to see his two sons play in person.
“It’s really hard,” Pat said. “But it was really a collective decision we made as a family. We involved Tyler and Trace in that discussion and we really wanted them to have some consistency in their high school careers, not just athletically, but they have a really good thing going here academically at East River, as well.”
Pat points to his wife, Billie, as being the strength of the family, and a big reason why the O’Haras are able to pull off their cross-country family life. It’s interesting that Tyler shares a passion for both things his parents love.
Pat played college quarterback for Southern Cal and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in 1991. He played professionally until he was 37 years old, part of the time in the NFL and part of the time in the Arena Football League.
Billie O’Hara is a former Orlando Magic and Orlando Predators dancer.
Tyler plays football and dances.
“Dance really helps with footwork and agility, and translates to football really well,” Tyler said. .“It’s cool to live out the dream of doing both of those things and not having to give up either one of them yet.”
Tyler O’Hara remembers when he was about 4 or 5 years old watching his dad sign autographs after games.
Tyler would get upset because he, too, wanted to sign autographs.
Those moments are the times that helped Tyler realize his calling, but he says it’s not easy having dad half a continent away.
“It’s very difficult, but ever since I was a little kid I’ve learned to get used being away from my dad a lot,” said Tyler, who has thrown for 774 yards and 10 touchdowns for a team that is 6-1. “I’ve always been around that lifestyle, all the traveling and stuff that he’s had to do, and so I get it.
“He’s taught me a lot about not only football but just being a man, so I know how to take on responsibilities at home, as well. It’s tough being away from him, but at the same time I know he’s away doing the right things for our family, so I know I have to do the same thing.”
Dad does his part to stay in the background when it comes to his sons’ team and that’s something East River coach Tony Piccalo not only noticed right away, but also came to appreciate.
“Pat completely stays out of the way,” Piccalo said. “Here’s someone who has more knowledge than all of us put together on our coaching staff, but he’s the guy who says, ‘I’m here if you need anything,’ but he never bothers us. I think that’s pretty cool on his part.
“And both of those boys are as well behaved and respectful as you are going to find, and they’re both great student-athletes. It’s been a really neat situation.”
It’s a unique situation for Pat. He goes from coaching NFL rookie Deshaun Watson one day to talking technique with his son Tyler the next, but dad has always tried to stay mostly in the background.
“I was always more interested in just being dad and just watching,” Pat said. “But as he got closer to like fourth or fifth grade, he asked me to help him and he wanted to play the position. So we bonded on a football level, as well, and that was always neat. ”
It continues to be neat for his sons, even though dad is not always in the crowd. At least he’s watching.