Westminster Coach Dies After Run : O’Hara, 51, Collapses After Jogging With Son; Football Coach Since ’83

Jim O’Hara, football coach at Westminster High School, died Monday morning after he collapsed following a jog at the school.

O’Hara, 51, collapsed in the school’s weight room at about 9:30 a.m. after completing several laps around the track with his son, Brian, according to the county coroner’s office.

He was treated by paramedics and later admitted to Humana Hospital in Westminster where he was pronounced dead at 10:29 a.m. The coroner’s office listed cause of death as natural causes pending an autopsy today.

O’Hara was an assistant and head coach at Westminster for 16 years. He was an assistant under Bill Boswell from 1966-77 and the school’s athletic director from 1972-77.

He took a leave of absence from

the school in 1978. He served as assistant at Santa Ana Valley in 1979 and was the head coach at the school in 1980.

O’Hara was named to replace Barry Waters as Westminster’s head coach in 1983. He has shared the job with Jack Bowman the past three years.

“I was out shopping this morning and got the news when I got home,” said Bowman. “I’m shocked. Jim had been jogging every day and was in great shape. He had a slight cold, but he was a very healthy guy.”

Westminster was the preseason’s top-ranked team in Orange County this fall, but finished third in the Sunset League with a 5-5-1 record. O’Hara’s son, Brian, was a starting cornerback and backup quarterback.

O’Hara was a guidance counselor and taught two physical education classes at Westminster. He also served as an assistant track coach.

O’Hara is survived by his mother, Laura, a brother, John O’Hara, his wife, Susanne, and two children, Lorie Doyle and Brian.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Our Redeemer Church in Garden Grove. The family plans to establish a scholarship fund in O’Hara’s name at Westminster and asked that donations be made to the school en lieu of flowers.