'Important to give back': Shaun O'Hara's foundation sponsors charity football game

He was a walk-on in college and eventually made All-Conference. He was an undrafted football player in the NFL and eventually made All-Pro.

What he never had to prove was his will to share with those less fortunate. That will be on display June 12 when the Shaun O’Hara Foundation sponsors a high school All-Star football game at Hillsborough. The game is comprised of players from Somerset and Hunterdon counties and will benefit individuals and families affected by cystic fibrosis.The site is only fitting, as O’Hara graduated from Hillsborough High School. His college success came at Rutgers where he played center and made First-Team All-Big East Conference in 1999. He is also a member of the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame.

More: Football: O’Hara Senior Bowl namesake addresses seniors at inaugural media day

After graduation he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns and a few years later signed with the Giants. In 2007 he was under center when Eli Manning led them to a Super Bowl victory. Two years later, O’Hara was a starter in the 2009 Pro Bowl.His football career ended in 2011.

His contributions to others came well before.

“I have to give my parents credit for instilling in me as a kid and a young man, that it was important to help others. I was raised in a Christian household,’’ said O’Hara, who turns 47 this month. “Being an athlete, I looked up to athletes when I was a kid, and all I wanted to be was to be a professional player. Either that or WWF. Thank god football worked out because I don’t think anybody needs to see me in Spandex.

“When I was in middle school, Walter Payton was one of my favorite players. His nickname was Sweetness. As violent and vicious a running back he was on a Sunday, he was Sweetness because of who he was.“I always had a soft spot in my heart for kids, and anytime in my NFL career, any time I had a chance to go to a hospital and visit kids or go to a school if kids were involved, I could never say no to that.”With the Giants he was a member of their leadership council and a team co-captain in ’07. He also was the representative to the players union and very outspoken about the role of its leadership. He was named Giants Man of the Year for his community involvement as well as United Way’s Hometown Hero in 2005, and has also worked with a number of organizations to support the communities where he lives in Franklin Lakes.

It was April of ’09 when he and his wife Amy launched the Shaun O’Hara Foundation, the mission of which is increasing knowledge and education for life-threatening diseases for which there is limited funding.

“I always felt that once I made it to the NFL I knew I was unbelievably privileged,” he said. “But being involved in charities had been an ongoing thing for me. I was drawn to the notion that it’s important to give back, important to help others. But I needed that platform to help people who needed help.”Involvement with Cystic Fibrosis came while with the Giants. Working with the Giants at the time, Bill Squires would sometimes bring his 8-year-old son Sean to the field during workouts. Their shared names created an instant bond, but at the time O’Hara had no idea he had C.F.

Squires approached O’Hara and told him they were looking for a new ambassador of hope for the New Jersey Chapter. O’Hara read up on the disease and realized it was something he could definitely get behind.A year later he and his wife created the Shaun O’Hara Foundation, and Cystic Fibrosis became its mission.“Actually it’s the No. 1 genetic killer in our country,” O’Hara said. “And yet there is zero funding. No donations from the government, no federal grants for research of science. Any money it gets is from private donors or private foundations like mine.”Including an annual golf tournament (15th after last month’s outing), throughout the year the foundation contributes money, with 90 cents of every dollar going toward research to find a cure.

“I needed that platform to help people who needed help,’’ he said about playing in the NFL. “I told my wife that I felt like I do a lot of different things for other foundations, but I don’t have anything that I’m committed to personally that can leave a lasting impact.”

Recently celebrating a marriage of 15 years, O’Hara met her in 2004 when she was a nurse and he a patient at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. He spent five nights there while being treated for a staph infection in 2004, during which he missed two games.

“I told her I’m not leaving here until I get your phone number,’’ he said with a laugh. “We’ve been together ever since.’’And now together with their three children: Jack, 11, Caselle, 8, and Courtlyn, 5.

Wednesday’s game (kickoff at 6 p.m.) came together under the leadership of Jim Ruh, Director of O’Hara’s Foundation, as well from the help of Hillsborough coach Kevin Carty, Watchung Hills coach Rich Seubert and Montgomery High coach Zoran Milich.

Team Rocky, named after the late Hillsborough wrestling coach and Director of Athletics Rocky Forte, will take on Team Otto, named after the late former Hillsborough football coach Otto Gsell. He was O’Hara’s coach for a couple of years.

His weight now is about the same as when he played for the Raiders, having lost about 75 pounds since his NFL days.

He will continue being part of the Giants broadcast team, doing post-game shows (MSG channel), as well as weekday assignments on digital content, on-line and all social media platforms. He also does the Eli Manning Show on YouTube.“We interview guests, make fun of each other and do silly things,’’ O’Hara said. “I hardly call that work.’’The serious work is left for the Shaun O’Hara Foundation.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ football: Shaun O'Hara's foundation sponsors charity All-Star game