Pat O'Hara is in his third season with the Titans as quarterbacks coach after spending the previous three seasons (2015-17) with the Houston Texans.
O'Hara brings a deep and varied set of experiences to the Titans, with a playing career as a quarterback that spanned 16 years in the NFL, World League and the Arena Football League. Additionally, he spent 10 years coaching in the AFL, including multiple stints as a head coach.
In 2019, O'Hara was part of a staff that turned the season around from a 2-4 start to the team's first AFC Championship Game appearance in 17 seasons. The Titans traded for veteran Ryan Tannehill during the 2019 offseason, and in Week 7 he recorded his first start for the club. Tannehill subsequently set single-season franchise records and led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating and a passing average of 9.6 yards per attempt. His passer rating was the fourth-highest figure in NFL history among qualifiers. Additionally, he set a club record and placed third in the NFL with a 70.3 completion percentage. He capped the season by winning the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award in addition to Pro Bowl honors.
In 2018, O'Hara helped guide quarterback Marcus Mariota to a single-season franchise record with a 68.9 completion percentage (228 of 331), shattering the previous record of 65.6 percent by Cody Carlson in 1992. Mariota also finished 2018 with a career-best average of 7.64 yards per attempt (2,528 passing yards), a career-best 357 rushing yards and a career-low eight interceptions. At Houston, he completed 22 of 23 passes to rank second in NFL history with a single-game completion rate of 95.7 percent.
In his time with the Texans, O'Hara was an offensive assistant and helped coach quarterbacks. In 2017, rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns in only seven games before suffering a season-ending injury. Watson set NFL records for most passing touchdowns (19) through a player's first seven career games in NFL history and most passing touchdowns (18 in Weeks 3-8) by a rookie over any five-game span in NFL history. Watson recorded three games with four-or-more passing touchdowns, joining Fran Tarkenton (1961) as the only rookies in NFL history to do so. He also became the fifth quarterback and first rookie in NFL history to have a five-game stretch of at least 225 passing yards and at least 20 rushing yards.
The Texans won the AFC South in 2015 and 2016 with back-to-back 9-7 records. In 2015, Houston became the first NFL team since 1950 to earn a trip to the postseason with four different starting quarterbacks winning at least one regular season game.
Before joining the Texans, O'Hara spent the 2014 AFL offseason as the director of player personnel for the Jacksonville Sharks, following 10 seasons coaching arena football. He was the head coach for the Los Angeles Avengers (2009), Tri-Cities Fever (AF2, 2009), Orlando Predators (2010-11) and New Orleans VooDoo (2012-14).
While still playing quarterback in the Arena League, O'Hara began his coaching career in 1996 as the quarterbacks coach at Point Loma High School in California. Two years later, he became the quarterbacks coach for New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) High School and was eventually named offensive coordinator at Olympia (Fla.) High School in 2001. O'Hara got his first AFL coaching job as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Storm in 2005 and held the unique position of a player-coach. Eventually, O'Hara retired as a player in 2007 and landed his first head coaching job with the Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) in 2009.
As a player, O'Hara spent six seasons in Orlando and helped lead the Predators to wins in ArenaBowls XII and XIV. He then joined the Toronto Phantoms in 2001 and the Tampa Bay Storm in 2003, helping lead the Storm to a win in ArenaBowl XVII.
O'Hara attended the University of Southern California, where he played quarterback for the Trojans under head coach Larry Smith. After Rodney Peete left in 1989, O'Hara was poised to take over as USC's starting quarterback until a knee injury ended his junior season just 10 days before the first game.
After graduating from USC with a degree in public administration, O'Hara was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 10th round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Following the 1991 season, he was allocated to the World League of American Football's Ohio Glory. He then spent the 1992 and 1993 seasons with the San Diego Chargers before heading to training camp with the Washington Redskins in 1994.
O'Hara has done consulting work in the film industry, coordinating and choreographing football action scenes for movies such as "The Longest Yard," "Invincible," "We Are Marshall" and "The Game Plan." His work includes coaching actors Adam Sandler, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He appeared on screen in "The Waterboy," "Any Given Sunday," and "The Game Plan."
O'Hara served as an analyst for CBS Sports Network on AFL broadcasts from 2014-18. Additionally, he has worked as a television football analyst for Spectrum Sports/Bright House Sports Network covering Florida High School football and served as the color analyst for the University of Central Florida IMG Radio Network.
A native of Santa Monica (Calif.), O'Hara and his wife, Billie, have two sons: Tyler and Trace.
Pat O'Hara's Coaching Timeline:
2018-20: Quarterbacks, Tennessee Titans
2017: Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks, Houston Texans
2015-16: Offensive Assistant, Houston Texans
2014: Director of Player Personnel, Jacksonville Sharks (AFL)
2012-14: Head Coach, New Orleans VooDoo (AFL)
2010-11: Head Coach, Orlando Predators (AFL)
2009: Head Coach, Tri-Cities Fever (AF2)
2009: Head Coach, Los Angeles Avengers (AFL)
2007-08: Offensive Coordinator, Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
2005: Offensive Coordinator, Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
2001-03: Offensive Coordinator, Olympia (Fla.) High School
1998-00: Quarterbacks, New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) High School
1996: Quarterbacks, Point Loma (Calif.) High School
