Bio

Michael E. O'Brien came to Missouri Valley College in 1973 and excelled both on the basketball court and in the classroom. Mike played on the Viking men's basketball team and was voted captain his senior season. His work in the classroom allowed Mike to graduate with honors in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. Mike was also a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and involved in a number of other activities during his time at Missouri Valley.

After leaving Missouri Valley, Mike earned a Master of Education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Master of Science in sports management at Western Illinois University. Professionally, Mike has been an Athletic Director for two NCAA Division I institutions, holding that position at both Lamar University and at the University of Toledo where he has led the department since 2002. During his time at Toledo, Mike has earned a number of awards, including the 2012 Football Bowl Subdivision Northeast Region Athletic Director of the Year and the 2011-2012 Cartwright Award, which is given annually to the top Mid-America Conference athletic director. During his tenure at Toledo, the athletic teams have won or shared a combined 27 conference championships in nine difference sports. Also, Mike has overseen a number of renovation and construction projects to athletic facilities. The largest project was the 30-million dollar Charles A. Sullivan Athletics Complex and Savage Arena, which opened in 2008. Mike has also raised Toledo's academic profile as student-athletes have produced an overall GPA above 3.1 over the past 11 semesters and was named the MAC's top academic institution in 2011-12. Mike has also served as the chair of the Mid-American Conference Athletic Directors Committee and is the MAC's athletic director representative to the College Football Playoff Committee.

Mike credits his basketball coach at Missouri Valley as the person who influenced him the most during his college years. Mike says Quenton King's positive influence on and off the court helped him through college.

Mike and his wife Michelle live in Toledo, Ohio with their son, Jack.