The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack athletics and recreation department is mourning the passing of an outstanding leader, coach, administrator and foundational figure in the program's history. Pat O'Brien, the first athletics and recreation director in school history, passed away Wednesday, April 16.
 
Joining Cariboo College in 1970, O'Brien is credited with establishing the sports programs at Cariboo College (now TRU). O'Brien was at the helm of the department for a remarkable 24 years until his retirement in 1994.  During his time at Cariboo College and the University College of the Cariboo, O'Brien was pivotal in the creation of the Sports Task Force, which has raised significant funds for TRU Athletics, and he continued to play a critical role on the Sports Task Force in his retirement.
 
Having been inducted into the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, he was the first inductee to enter the TRU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
 
TRU and the WolfPack are forever indebted to Pat O'Brien for the significant impact he had on our program, our school, and our student-athletes. We offer our deepest sympathies to his family as they mourn this difficult loss.