The Parade Committee is honored to announce the Grand Marshal for the 2009 Parade:  NC State Football Coach Tom O'Brien

Past Grand Marshals 2008 Harry Patrick Dolan, Raleigh Police Chief 2007 Debra Morgan, WRAL Anchor/Reporter 2006 Richard H. Moore, NC State Treasurer 2005 Steve McLaurin, VP, McLaurin Parking 2004 Bill Gaines, Anchor of NBC 17 News 2003 Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker 2002 Jane Perlov, Raleigh Police Chief 2001 Sharon Delaney, Anchor NBC 17 News 2000 Paul Coble, Raleigh Mayor 1999 Kieran J. Shanahan, Raleigh City Council 1998 Donna Gregory, Anchor NBC 17 News 1997 Sylvia Wiggins, Director, Helping Hand Mission 1996 Pam Saulsby, Anchor, WRAL 5 News 1995 Tom Fetzer, Raleigh Mayor 1994 Fred Heineman, Raleigh Police Chief 1993 David Allen, Anchor Fox TV News 1992 John McIntyre, Parade Founder

“I have never been afraid of a little hard work,” says O’Brien, who was hired to be the 33rd head coach in NC State’s 115-year football history on Dec. 9, 2006. “When I was a kid and I couldn’t get something done, my mother would tell me to ‘use a little more elbow grease.’ That solved everything * just work a little harder.

“It taught me to never be afraid of challenges.”

O’Brien used that lesson as a football player at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received a community-minded Jesuit education that helped him earn his appointment to the Naval Academy. At Annapolis, where he was a three-year starter at defensive end, he learned to combine his hard work with discipline and leadership skills, a trait that prepared him to become a Marine officer when his football career ended.

O’Brien served nine years in the Marines after his 1971 graduation, beginning his football coaching career as an assistant for Navy’s plebe (freshman) team, then serving at the Quantico Marine Base in Quantico, Va., and tours of duty in California and Japan. He eventually reached the rank of major in the Marine Corps Reserve.

His career path after the navy included seven years as assistant coach under Coach Welsh at the Naval Academy. He was responsible for recruiting All-America and Hall of Fame running back Napoleon McCallum to the Naval Academy.

In 1982, O’Brien followed Welsh to Virginia, where they turned the Cavaliers into a nationally prominent and successful football power. In O’Brien’s 15 years there, Virginia had winning seasons 12 times, won four bowl games and was ACC co-champion.

O’Brien got his first opportunity to lead a major college program in December, 1996, when he took over at Boston College. There, he turned around a program that had been wracked with a gambling scandal and instability. After leading the Eagles to back-to-back 4-7 seasons in 1997 and 1998, O’Brien led BC to an 8-4 record in 1999 and the third-best turnaround in the IA ranks. He then guided the Eagles to eight consecutive winnings seasons and an NCAA-best eight consecutive bowl victories.  BC also boasted the highest graduation rates for football among any ranked teams while O’Brien was coach.

O’Brien became convinced that NC State had the most passionate and loyal fans in the ACC when he came to Carter Finley Stadium in 2006 and the BC Eagles lost on the final play of the game. When he had the opportunity to become the Wolfpack’s head coach, O’Brien jumped at the chance to return south to a large public institution where football is a centerpiece for students, alumni and fans. The recent upgrades to Carter-Finley and the commitment to building a strong football program cemented O’Brien’s decision.

He brought to NC State the goal of building a championship program in the classroom, in the community and on the football field. Before the ink was barely dry on his contract, the student-athletes from his team were being held to even higher academic standards, and the team was involved in many community service projects in his first semester on the job.