St. John’s announces new interim athletic director

St. John’s hired Dan O’Brien for the interim athletic director position on April 23.

This comes following the announcement made on April 9 that Bob Alpers ’82 will retire from his position as athletic director, effective June 30, after serving in the role for nine years.

Alpers was the sixth athletic director for the Johnnies since 1931.

O’Brien said he is excited to build a relationship with Johnnie student-athletes, university staff and the entire St. John’s school community.

O’Brien brings a wealth of experience to the role with over 35 years of experience in coaching and sports management, from the high school level to Division I athletics.

In 1987, O’Brien began his coaching career at Benilde-St. Margaret’s prep school in Minnesota, before moving to Lakeville in 1989, where he was the defensive coordinator for their 1992 state championship.

From 1993-95 he served as head coach at Bemidji High School.

O’Brien said he looks forward to working with the existing athletic department staff and coaches, highlighting the success of the football team under head coach Gary Fasching.

He also hopes to pick the brain of baseball head coach Jerry Haugen, who is retiring at the end of this season.

After his stop at Bemidji, he moved to the collegiate level, joining the coaching staff at Concordia University of St. Paul. He started as an assistant coach from 1995-97 and was head coach from 1998-99.

In 1998, he also became the athletic director for Concordia. During his time in this position, he was instrumental in moving the Golden Bears from NAIA to NCAA Division II in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Following his tenure at Concordia, O’Brien became the athletic director at Hamline University from 2002-08.

Following this position, he moved to Division I athletics, joining the University of Minnesota in 2008.

During his eight years with the Gophers, O’Brien held a multitude of positions: assistant athletics director for football operations from 2008-14, senior associate athletics director from 2014-16 and defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator/special assistant to the head coach from 2016-17.

“I have been following the basketball program for a long time now and their continued success has been incredible. I have been particularly impressed by coach [Pat] McKenzie from afar, and I am excited to be able to work with him,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien took a brief hiatus from coaching following the 2016-17 season with the Gophers, before returning to the high school level in 2018 when he became the head coach at St. Thomas Academy.

In the five years he spent at the helm of the Cadets football program, the team won at least 10 games and made a state tournament appearance every season. Despite not winning a state title, O’Brien led St. Thomas to two state championship game appearances in 2018 and 2019.

In 2023, O’Brien stepped down at St. Thomas to take over the football program at Holy Family Catholic High School. Prior to his hiring, the Fire had lost 21 straight football games and had not had a season with multiple wins since 2018.

O’Brien had an immediate impact as the head coach of the Fire, with a 7-4 record in his first season and an 8-3 record in his second season. O’Brien moved on from Holy Family following the 2024 season.

“The opportunity to join a program like St. John’s is rare. The top Division III program in Minnesota, [St. John’s] competes nationally at the Division III level, both athletically and academically. The coaches are excellent, and success is important to the school and the alumni. I look forward to building on the legacy that St. John’s has,” O’Brien said.