Casey’s fight with cancer began when he was a in 9th grade at Cretin Derham Hall High School. A mysterious pain in his left knee pulled Casey off the football field and onto crutches, and he and his family would learn of his cancer diagnosis a short time later. 

Since that first cancer diagnosis, Casey O’Brien’s resume to become cancer’s most determined combatant is undisputed: Casey has had his left leg rebuilt and knee replaced with more metal than a hardware store, he’s had cancer six different times in 10 years, underwent 23 surgeries (10 on his lungs alone), had a port in and out of his chest for immunotherapy, and he’s tried every type of chemo under the sun. At this point, cancer is scared of Casey. 

Throughout his many battles with cancer, Casey was determined to stay on the football field. But after graduating, fear of potential injury left most college teams not willing to take the risk, until P.J. Fleck heard Casey’s story and invited him to play for the University of Minnesota. Casey would be a special teams player for the Gophers, playing in multiple games as a holder, suiting up as a team captain, and inspiring one of the greatest seasons in the history of the program. 

One that haven’t wavered about Casey on his journey is his positive attitude. When you’ve wrestled with the dragon as many times as Casey has, you know tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Casey approaches each day he has as a gift, and his optimism and positive energy make him a gift to us.