Lynnfield High head baseball coach John O’Brien has had a lifetime of memories when it comes to the game he loves.

From on-field battles with his good friend and mentor Frank Carey during his legendary run at North Reading High School, a run that ended with Carey retiring as the winningest high school coach in Massachusetts to epic tournament comebacks, a few disappointments and churning out rock-solid ballplayers and citizens, O’Brien has seen it all.

But “OB” has always preferred to stay out of the limelight, always deflecting any credit for his successes to his players and coaches.

At the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield on January 27, O’Brien had no place to hide and no way to dodge the limelight. Instead of dishing out accolades, he was receiving them.

The occasion? The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association 56th Hall of Fame Induction & Awards ceremony.

O’Brien was one of four coaches in the Class of 2024 inducted into the Hall of Fame. The other inductees were Kirk Fredericks (Lincoln-Sudbury, Wellesley), Charlie Eppinger (St. John’s Shrewsbury), and Steve Wilson (Harwich, Monomoy).

O’Brien said that when he learned he had been selected, “I had no idea I had even been nominated and I had no idea that my son Michael had been behind the scenes coordinating everything. He did a terrific job.  I’m usually not nervous, but I’m not going to lie, I was nervous making that speech. And I was absolutely floored. There were so many people there and it was great to see all these guys. It was quite an honor.”

O’Brien’s coaching career began in 1989 with a Babe Ruth team in Winchester. A few years later, Winchester High head coach Bill Chase hired him as an assistant coach. Together, they led the team to a Middlesex League championship in 1992.

“We had some terrific players and great kids that I am still in touch with some 30 years later,” O’Brien said. 

In 1989, he started a Senior Babe Ruth team in Arlington with Joe Perna, with whom he coached for 24 years through 2022.

O’Brien’s association with Lynnfield began in 2001 when Pioneer coach Steve McBride asked him to come on board as an assistant coach. He served four years in that role before being named head coach in 2005. O’Brien credits McBride with teaching him the ins and outs of high school coaching.

“He was truly a players’ coach and a great friend,” O’Brien said. “He always preached that we coached the team together and I have tried to use that philosophy.”

During the awards ceremony, he noted that during his first year, the Pioneers advanced to the state championship game.

“What an incredible way to start,” he said. “All of my assistant coaches have done an incredible job teaching our players the great game of baseball while earning their respect. The administration has been terrific. The kids and I greatly appreciate your efforts.”

O’Brien’s record speaks for itself. Under his tutelage, the Pioneers have won eight Cape Ann League titles and made 15 MIAA tournament appearances. More than 100 players he coached have gone on to play in college, several at the Division 1 level and a few at Ivy League schools. With more than 200 wins to his credit, O’Brien is a member of the MBCA 200 Victory Club.

During the ceremony, O’Brien said he was honored to be able to share the moment with his family – daughter Ann Marie and her boyfriend Joe Plumadore, his son Michael, his sister Ellen Cushman and her husband John, his aunt Sheila Finegan, his goddaughter Mackenzie Engelherdt and her husband Tom and his nephew Liam Cushman, saying he is grateful for their “love and support over the last 36 years coaching the sport I truly love. I wouldn’t be standing here without all of you. You have been an enormous part of my journey.”

O’Brien’s final shout-out was to his parents. He recalled that his father was “a heck of a player.” Upon returning home from World War 2, he started a family and career, “but his love for the great game of baseball never wavered. He passed it along to me and to my son Mike (an assistant at Lynnfield High for 16 years). They are great role models and I can lever thank them enough.”

Former Lynnfield High three-sport standout Cooper Marengi was one of a large group of former players in attendance. He and former teammate Nick Aslanian coach the JV2 freshmen team.

“It really was an honor to be there,” Marengi said. “I’ve learned to appreciate him a lot more than when I was playing. It goes to show how much respect he had from the entire team, whether you were an everyday guy or riding the bench. During school and even post-graduation, he’s always there for his players. He has so many connections not just in baseball but in the real world so he’s a great guy to have in your corner.”

Ryan Sheehan, another former Pioneer three-sport standout, played under O’Brien when he was McBride’s assistant. He also coached for O’Brien as an assistant for several years. Currently the head coach of both boys hockey and golf at Triton, Sheehan said he said he learned so much as a player and, perhaps even more, as a coach from O’Brien.

“OB is a players’ coach and has a great ability to pique people’s interest in the game,” he said. “He has done a tremendous job building an annual contender in the postseason because of his care for the players, the facilities, and the program. Coaching with him I learned that if you respect your players, they will respect you and that’s when you can bring the most out of your team.”

O’Brien has been active with the MBCA for 20 years, always saying yes whenever guys are needed to help out with clinics or all-star games. Swampscott baseball coach Joe Caponigro, a member of the MBCA Executive Board, said he’s gotten to know O’Brien very well through their work with MBCA, and “OB is a great man and coach.

“He runs a terrific program at Lynnfield High and this Hall of Fame induction is well deserved,” Caponigro said. “He would be the first to tell you that he’s not in the coaching game for this type of recognition, but more importantly for his love of the game and the student-athletes who have come through his program.”