Richard O'Hara grew up in Elk City, where he was an all-around athlete before enrolling at SWOSU in the fall of 1964 to play basketball and baseball for the Bulldogs. He lettered in both sports during all four years at SWOSU, never missing a practice or game for either team. On the court, he helped SWOSU to the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference (OCAC) Championship in 1967 and was selected to the all-conference team, while also earning the 'Blue & White Award' which was voted on by his teammates three consecutive years. In baseball, O'Hara helped the Bulldogs to a conference championship in 1967 and was a three-time all-conference selection. As a senior, he led the team with a .425 batting average and was the President of the 'O' Club. After graduating from SWOSU with a Bachelor's Degree in 1968 followed by a Master's Degree in 1971, O'Hara started a coaching career that started at Elk City High School coaching multiple sports before heading to Plainview, Texas, to coach basketball from 1977-79. He then transitioned into administration, returning to Weatherford, where he worked as the Superintendent until 1990 before heading to accept a similar position in Ardmore. O'Hara's final stop was in Bridgeport, Texas, where he was the Assistant Superintendent for two years before taking over as the Superintendent in 2000 and holding that position until his retirement in 2008. He has served as the SWOSU Alumni President and is currently in his second year as a Sportsmanship observer for the OSSAA in basketball.