William O'Brien (American football)

William Edward "Bill" O'Brien (March 11, 1923 – December 1, 2000) was the seventh head football coach for the Southern Illinois Salukis in Carbondale, Illinois and he held that position for three seasons, from 1952 until 1954. His overall coaching record at SIU was 6 wins, 20 losses, and 0 ties. This ranks him 12th at SIU in terms of total wins and 16th at SIU in terms of winning percentage. O'Brien later went to become a National Football League official for 18 seasons from 1967 through 1983, officiating in Super Bowl X in 1976. He wore number 83 for the major part of his NFL career. He was also a professor at Southern Illinois University.

He died in 2000 after battling Alzheimer's disease for 13 years.