Shaun O'Hara

Shaun O'Hara (born June 23, 1977) is a former American football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for Rutgers University. He began his professional career by signing as a undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns, and spent the majority of his NFL career with the New York Giants. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Early years
O'Hara grew up in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey and attended Hillsborough High School (New Jersey). He also spent some of his childhood in Medina, Ohio.

College career
He attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he played for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team from 1996 to 1999.

Professional career
O'Hara's professional career began with the Cleveland Browns, where he played both center and guard after signing as a rookie free agent in 2000. While a Brown, O'Hara started 38 of 54 games, including the final 34 that he played. He signed a three-year $5.4 million contract with the Giants on March 7, 2004 with the intention of playing Center, which he considers his more natural position, as well as to help bolster an offensive line that was often criticized as one of the problems in the Giants' 2003 season.

In his first year with the team, O'Hara's season was nearly ended by a case of athlete's foot, which developed into a staph infection, raising further discussion about the incidences of staph in NFL locker rooms.

O'Hara re-signed with the Giants in March 2007 keeping him off the free agent market, despite initial concerns about whether a deal was possible. The Giants' offensive line has been viewed by some as one of the keys to the team's success, which was cemented following Super Bowl XLII and in the leadup thereto, but was seen as early as 2005.

Despite initial impressions that O'Hara was not a Pro Bowl caliber player, he was named a reserve in the 2008 Pro Bowl, named a starter in the 2009 Pro Bowl, and to the 2010 Pro Bowl, although he did not play due to injury.

On July 28, 2011, he was released by The New York Giants.

Shaun O'Hara officially announced his retirement as a New York Giant on September 3, 2012. He is now a sports analyst on NFL Network.

Off-field activity
O'Hara was a member of the Giants' leadership council and was a team co-captain for the 2007 season. He is the Giants' team representative to the players' union and has been very outspoken about the role of the players' union and its leadership.

He was named Giants Man of the Year for his community involvement as well as United Way's Hometown Hero in 2005 and has also worked with a number of organizations to support the communities where he lives. In March 2009, he was honored by the American Ireland Fund as one of the most noted and successful Irish American figures today.

In April 2009, O'Hara, along with his wife Amy, launched the Shaun O'Hara Foundation, whose mission is to increase knowledge and education for life-threatening diseases for which there is limited funding.