Gophers holder is a finalist for Uplifting Athletes award

Casey O'Brien, who twice battled cancer, is one of four finalists for the Rare Disease Champion Award. The freshman spent this season as a redshirt.

December 8, 2017 at 8:21PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Casey O'Brien, a freshman walk-on holder for the Gophers who twice has battled cancer, is one of four finalists for the Rare Disease Champion Award given by Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization that inspires the rare disease community through sports. The award is given annually to a leader in college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community.

O'Brien, who is from St. Paul and attended Cretin-Derham Hall, had knee pain as a high school freshman quarterback and was diagnosed osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He underwent a knee transplant, but the cancer returned in his lungs. He underwent 10 surgeries and more than 30 rounds of chemotherapy. O'Brien returned to football in 2015, as a holder for Cretin-Derham Hall, committed to walk on to the Gophers last April and spent the 2017 season as a redshirt. O'Brien is the son of Dan O'Brien, the former Gophers assistant coach and director of football operations.

Other finalists for the award are:

** Louisiana Tech running back Jaqwis Dancy, who returned to the field this season after battling stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma;

** Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who had his left hand amputated at age 4 after having the rare disease amniotic band syndrome. Griffin is the 2016 American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year;

** Syracuse quarterback Zach Mahoney, who has raised money for "Lilly's Army,'' which benefits young girl Lillian Belfield of Mexico, N.Y., who has a rare form of brain cancer.

Voting for the award can be done at upliftingathletes.org/rare-disease-champion

Here is a link to O'Brien's page: uplifting athletes.org/rare-disease-champion/2018/obrien

about the writer

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Minnesota Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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