University of Houston Athletics
Doc O'Shea Keeping Student-Athletes Healthy
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 26, 2004
HOUSTON - For most University of Houston fans, it would be hard to be grateful to the University of Texas for anything. But in the case of head athletics trainer Mike O'Shea, Cougar fans are willing to admit that at least one good thing came out of Austin.
Now in his 11th season as the school's top athletic trainer, O'Shea - or 'Doc" as he is more commonly called - has established himself as one of the best in the country at his profession.
A native of Brenham, O'Shea regularly competed in athletics in high school but soon realized that athletics "wasn't my calling in college." After starting out as a student athletic trainer at Blinn Junior College, O'Shea transferred to the University of Texas, where he worked for Frank Medina, an early pioneer in the profession.
More than 30 years later, O'Shea continues to speak with respect about his Longhorn mentor.
"Frank Medina was the one that has probably influenced me the most about what it takes to be an athletic trainer," O'Shea said. "He was a world-renowned man."
Look at the walls of Doc's office and one will see a career in pictures. Signed photos of Schnellenberger, Vinny Testaverde, Lamar Smith, Ted Washington, Ernest Givins and Ted Marchibroda praise O'Shea and thank him for his years of hard work. Those pictures sit nicely behind some top national awards, including the 1987 National Athletic Trainers' Association University Athletic Trainer of the Year honor and the 1999 Professional Football Athletic Trainer Society's Distinguished Alumni Award.
After receiving his bachelor's degree from UT in 1968, O'Shea moved on and earned his master's degree at Kent State in 1974 after spending four years in the United States Air Force.
He began his professional athletic training career in 1973 as an athletic trainer with the Baltimore Colts, a job that began an association with Coach Howard Schnellenberger. When Schnellenberger began work at the University of Miami in 1979, O'Shea joined him and served as the athletic trainer for football teams that earned the 1983 national championship and appeared in the 1980 Peach Bowl and 1984 Fiesta Bowl.
Before coming to UH , O'Shea served as the football athletic trainer at Louisville from 1979-85 and accompanied the Cardinals to the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.. He joined the Cougar staff in 1994 and has been a fixture on the UH sidelines ever since.
At one time, the Cougar Football sidelines was THE place to find half of the O'Shea family. His son Chad was a former Cougar quarterback from 1994-95 and followed that with a stint as an assistant coach from 1997-99. While the championship rings and awards are special in their own way, that family connection at UH means the most to O'Shea.
"The highlight of my career here is to have my son play for the University of Houston when he did and work as an assistant coach. That is probably as big a thrill as having my daughter graduate from UH," he said. "Those two things are really meaningful to my wife and I."
While the Cougar Athletics Department has changed much over the last decade with new faces and facility upgrades, one aspect separates this school from others.
"The thing about the University of Houston is that it seems to have a family atmosphere, more than a lot of schools," O'Shea said. "We work together in a lot of ways."
