Hall of Fame
Marty O’Brien was a two-sport star for the Crusaders in baseball and football.
On the diamond, O’Brien was a mainstay at second base, starting as a sophomore as the team posted a 10-6 record.
As a junior, he hit .352 to lead Holy Cross to an overall record of 15-1 and the Eastern Championship. Some of O’Brien’s top performances that season came against Amherst (scored the only run), Dartmouth (game-winning home run), and Harvard (two doubles, a single and a walk).
During his senior year in 1941, O’Brien batted .342 and scored 19 runs in just 18 games. The Crusaders finished the season with an overall record of 14-3-1.
He also played three years on the gridiron for Holy Cross, once throwing two touchdown passes in a game against Temple.
The Detroit Tigers pursued O’Brien for a pro career, but, World War II called and he served his country gallantly, being awarded the Navy Cross posthumously as he was killed in action on July 22, 1944.
