St. John’s interim athletic director Dan O’Brien settles into new role

St. John’s interim athletic director, Dan O’Brien, is six months into his new role, and he has accomplished a number of tasks in the department. O’Brien brings experience at every level of NCAA athletics and said he has appreciated the transition to a new environment.

“It’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed it,” O’Brien said. “I’ve learned a lot about St. John’s University. The campus is gorgeous. I think we’ve got a good coaching staff in place, and I’ve enjoyed meeting and getting to know the student-athletes of all the different programs.”

A University of St. Thomas graduate, O’Brien acknowledged the lighthearted irony of his move across the historic Minnesota rivalry.

“When they called and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested?’ I asked them, ‘Do you know where I went to school?’” O’Brien said. “They said, ‘Yeah, we don’t care. Our umbrella is big. You’re always welcome.’”

Despite his background at St. Thomas, O’Brien’s ties to St. John’s run deep — two of his brothers are alumni, and his family includes graduates of St. Ben’s.

“Now it’s about having a lot of fun…I don’t regret making the decision for a second,” O’Brien said.

Since taking over, O’Brien has focused on improving operations and support for coaches and student athletes.

“Every coach at every single school in the country feels like they’re underfunded,” O’Brien said. “My only thing that I wish I could be doing more of, or better at, would be to help the coaches and work with some budget stuff. We’re working on some things, but it’s like turning the Titanic when it comes to budgets.”

Even within those constraints, O’Brien has overseen several concrete
changes.

“We’ve hired our strength and conditioning guy, Justin Roste, full-time. He was part-time before,” O’Brien said. “We have 650 student athletes. We needed two full-time strength and conditioning guys; we were able to make that move this summer.”

He also highlighted the addition of a full-time equipment manager, a first for the program.

“Schools our size need to have that,” O’Brien said. “That’s for our athletes and for our coaches, the laundry and all that kind of stuff that needs to be getting done.”

Alongside staffing improvements, O’Brien has expanded athletic medicine support and celebrated a record number of participants in the annual Go Johnnie Challenge.

“That was a highlight too,” O’Brien said. “We had a record year — not that I had anything to do with that but our coaches did.”

Looking ahead, O’Brien said he hopes to streamline athletic operations and explore facility updates.

“Working with some efficiencies would be another goal,” he said. “We use three different bus companies. I’d love to figure out if we can get it down to one and save some money that way.”

O’Brien expressed a desire to strengthen partnerships with Institutional Advancement, calling their collaboration “essential” to the success of the athletic department. Long term, he said he envisions facility renovations to bring St. John’s in line with other MIAC programs.

“This building was built in 1977, and we haven’t really done any major renovations to it,” O’Brien said. “Down the road, if this thing works out, that’s something that would be great for a student-athlete.”

Head men’s basketball coach Pat McKenzie said O’Brien’s leadership has already energized the department.

“I think there is a new sense of energy and urgency that you can kind of feel,” McKenzie said. “We’ve seen some stuff getting done that has been exciting.”

For McKenzie, the leadership change has been smooth.

“Anytime you change bosses, it impacts you a lot,” McKenzie said. “But it hasn’t changed much of my day-to-day, which is good. It’s been a smooth transition from his standpoint. He’s been great to work with.”

McKenzie attributed that ease in part to O’Brien’s coaching background.

“Dan has coached, so I think there’s a measure of empathy that he approaches the job with,” McKenzie said. “He knows what it is to win, to lose, to recruit and having that understanding has helped make the transition smooth.”

McKenzie added that O’Brien’s care and perspective have already made a difference.

“Having a different perspective has been valuable,” McKenzie said. “He’s a great guy. He cares. I’ve really, really enjoyed working with him. I think he’s fantastic, and he’s already made
the department better.”

O’Brien said he views his role with humility and gratitude.

“I’m lucky,” O’Brien said. “I’m fortunate to have the opportunity. The campus is great, the coaches and the student-athletes are great and the alums have been fantastic. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me. I’m thankful and blessed to be here for sure.”