Three of Seattle University's finest were part of the lunchtime festivities at the Washington Athletic Club's 101 luncheon March 29. Eddie O'Brien and Johnny O'Brien were honored by the 101 club and were the featured guest speakers. Johnny O'Brien's charitable efforts with the St. Francis house were specifically highlighted as part of his community achievements.
Seattle University Athletic Director Bill Hogan was also swore in as a full member of the WAC's 101 club, nominated by John Meisenbach, member of the SU board of trustees.
Eddie was the first of the two O'Briens to speak, regaling the audience on how he was first recruited by then-SU head basketball coach Al Brightman. Brightman and the O'Briens were playing semi-pro baseball against each other in Wichita, Kansas.
"Al was playing first base and I got on," Eddie told the crowd. "He introduced himself and said, `I would like to talk to you and Johnny about playing basketball at Seattle University.' I told him, `I would like that, Mr. Brightman -- but I just got the steal sign.' and off I went. The next day, we got a letter from Brightman recruiting us."
After leaving Seattle University in order to play major league baseball with the Pittsburg Pirates, Eddie would return as SU's athletic director and eventually would be a pitching coach for the 1969 Seattle Pilots. Eddie told the crowd that then-President Father A.A. Lemieux gave him one of the most interesting exchanges of his tenure running the athletic department during the early 1960s.
"I get a phone call from Father President, who is concerned that John Tresvant isn't on our 14-man travel party," Eddie said. "I said, that was right, because Tresvant had missed a few practices and the head coach decided to leave him off the travel party. Father President says `very well' and hangs up."
A half-hour later, Eddie said Father Lemieux called him again.
"He asked if I had given any thought to our conversation," Eddie said. "I told him, I really hadn't. He said, very well, and hung up again."
A half-hour later, Father Lemieux called Eddie again.
"He tells me that after he called the head coach, it was decided that John Tresvant would indeed be on the travel list," Eddie said. "I wanted to know which of the 14 on the roster would be left off the list, in order to make room for Tresvant. Father Lemieux said to bill Tresvant's travel to the President's Office rather than take someone off the list."
Eddie's speech was interesting, due to the fact that his brother Johnny (born four minutes ahead of Eddie) actually allowed his younger brother to talk before getting up to the stage.
However, Johnny, who played as a 5-8 center on the basketball court for SU, did not disappoint the WAC 101 crowd by recalling an at bat with the Brooklyn Dodger's Roy Campanella catching behind the plate. "I struck out swinging and as I walked back to the dugout, Roy said to me, `Those basketballs don't curve, do they?'"
Johnny said that with Pittsburg, Branch Rickey had attempted to convert Eddie to shortstop and Johnny to second base, with mixed results. "Every grounder he would yell out `That's Pee-Wee Reese!' at Eddie with a bullhorn. But on the double play, Eddie would hit me right in the chest with the ball. Finally, I yelled back at Branch "Sir, my brother may be Pee-Wee Reese, but he's killing Jackie Robinson!"
Johnny, a former King County Commissioner who ran the King Dome for several years, said that he was famous for one more thing. Giving up a homerun to Hank Aaron.
"When Hank hit 714 to pass Babe Ruth, I sent him a telegram," Johnny said. "It said, `Without me, you'd still be one short!'"