He was a star athlete at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, and received a football scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
[1][2] He served in the United States Marine Corps, reaching the rank of captain.
They had two children, Marlene Castellow and Joseph Willian O'Brien, III.
In 1976, O'Brien was the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 4th congressional district.
[5] O'Brien was an early proponent of the Virginia State Lottery, which was created in 1987.