Gophers holder Casey O'Brien is moving on from the football team.
Gophers holder, cancer survivor Casey O'Brien is leaving football team
January 14, 2021 at 4:29AM
The redshirt junior holder, who had two years of eligibility remaining, announced his decision Wednesday on Twitter. The St. Paul native has already graduated and plans to begin a career in financial planning in a few weeks.
O'Brien became a national story in the Gophers' 11-2 season back in 2019, a season in which the now-five-time cancer survivor made his collegiate debut.
O'Brien has battled osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that has reoccurred in his lungs, since he was 13 years old but persevered to make his dream of playing Division I football a reality.
"Thank you for providing me with a platform to help change the world of cancer," O'Brien wrote on Twitter. "I am thankful for all the doctors, nurses and staff at Masonic Children's Hospital who care for kids just like me."
Gophers coach Keegan Cook and standout Julia Hanson understand the team must be consistent now if it wants to become an NCAA tournament host for the first time since 2022.
