Win the heisman trophy, Maxwell award and Walter camp trophies in the same season-in 1938, Obrien threw for 1,457 passing yards. A southwest conference record that stood for ten years. He had only four interceptions in 194 passing attempts, and his NCAA record for most rushing and passing plays in a single-season still stands today. That season, he led the horned frogs to an undefeated season, as they outscored their opponents by a 269-60 margin and held nine of their ten regular-season opponents to seven points or less, including three shutouts. They finished the season with a 15-7 victory over carnegie tech in the 1939 sugar bowl and the national championship title. Obrien was named to 13 all-america teams and became the first player to win the heisman, maxwell and walter camp trophies in the same year. He was also the first heisman winner from both tcu as well as the southwest conference.
