West Liberty University Athletics

    James "Duke" O'Hara was a prominent figure on the playing fields and in the classrooms at West Liberty State College during the mid-1940s. The 1947 honors graduate was a two-way starter in football during the 1941, 1942 and 1946 seasons, a two-year starter in basketball and a baseball letterman. His college career was split by three years of service in the U.S. Air Force (1943-46) during World War II.
    Voted West Liberty's "Most Outstanding Athlete" in 1947, O'Hara was a team captain in football and Vice President of Student Council before graduating with honors in the spring of 1947. He went on to earn a master's degree from Marshall University and a doctorate from Ohio State in 1954 while performing additional post-graduate work at such disparate institutions as Harvard University, the University of New Mexico, San Jose State University, the University of Colorado and the University of Denver.
    Meanwhile, O'Hara's outstanding career in education and administration was well under way. After getting his start at Chester (W.Va.) High School, O'Hara spent 15 years each in the Cincinnati, Ohio and Denver, Colo. public school systems. He is a member of the Denver Interscholastic Athletic Hall of Fame, past president of two regional and national administrative organizations and received multiple awards for his Special Education work from the city of Denver and state of Colorado.