Who Is Ben Ohai?
Ben Ohai is a former elite college wrestler, wrestling coach and educator who is also widely known as the father of former professional soccer player Kealia Ohai Watt. Long before his family became connected with prominent names in American football and soccer, Ben had already built an impressive athletic record of his own at Brigham Young University.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame recognizes Ben Ohai as a two-time NCAA Division I All-American. Wrestling at 190 pounds for BYU, he finished third nationally in 1973 and improved to second place in 1974. Those results make his athletic background considerably more substantial than the simple description “Kealia Ohai’s father” sometimes found on biography sites.
His family later developed remarkable sporting connections. His daughter Kealia became a professional soccer player and U.S. international before marrying NFL star J.J. Watt. Another daughter, Megan, played championship-level college soccer at USC and married former Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing.
Yet despite those connections, much of Ben Ohai’s private life has remained outside celebrity culture. His exact birth date, age, parents’ names, siblings and current daily activities are not clearly established by authoritative public sources.
Ben Ohai’s Early Life and Hawaiian Background
Ben Ohai has a documented connection to Hawaii, although reliable public sources provide fewer details about his childhood than many modern biography websites suggest.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s records list Hawaii in connection with his high-school background, while published biographies of Kealia have consistently described her as having Hawaiian heritage through her father’s side.
Several secondary websites go further, giving precise Hawaiian birthplaces or stories about Ben moving to California as a child. Those claims are difficult to confirm through the stronger sports and historical records available publicly, so they should not be treated as established fact without better documentation.
The Hawaiian connection nevertheless remained meaningful within his family. Kealia’s unusual first name has been linked to Kealia Beach on Kauai, reinforcing the family’s connection with the islands.
Who Were Ben Ohai’s Parents and Siblings?
Reliable public records do not provide a well-documented biography of Ben Ohai’s parents or siblings.
Names, occupations and detailed family stories sometimes appearing on newer biography websites should therefore be approached cautiously. Unlike his wrestling accomplishments and immediate family relationships, these early-life details do not have the same level of supporting documentation.
Ben Ohai’s Wrestling Career
The strongest part of the Ben Ohai biography is his wrestling career.
Before competing for BYU, historical California community-college wrestling records show a Ben Ohai representing Cerritos College as the 190-pound individual champion during the 1970–71 season.
At Brigham Young University, his performances placed him among the program’s most accomplished wrestlers.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame records his two NCAA Division I All-American finishes:
1973: Third place at 190 pounds.
1974: Second place at 190 pounds.
Historical NCAA tournament records show that he entered the 1974 tournament as the No. 2 seed and advanced through a competitive 190-pound field before finishing runner-up to Oregon State’s Greg Strobel.
Ben Ohai’s BYU Achievements
The Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame provides an even broader picture of his career. It states that Ben was recruited by BYU for both football and wrestling but ultimately became a standout wrestler.
According to the Hall of Fame profile, he was a two-time Western Athletic Conference champion at 190 pounds in 1973 and 1974, compiled a collegiate record of 116–8, and never lost to a WAC opponent. It also records his participation on the West team in the 1974 NCAA East-West All-Star event.
His achievements were later recognized when he became a BYU Hall of Fame inductee in 1983, according to the Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame.
These accomplishments show that Ben had a noteworthy sports identity decades before Kealia’s professional soccer career attracted national attention.
Ben Ohai’s Career as a Coach and Teacher
Ben did not completely leave wrestling behind after his competitive career ended.
The Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame reports that he returned to BYU as an assistant wrestling coach and later served as a head wrestling coach at both Spanish Fork High School and Cottonwood High School in Utah.
He also built a professional career in education.
A Granite School District publication from 2010 identifies Ben Ohai as a social studies teacher at Cottonwood High School.
Two years later, the Deseret News described him as a history teacher at Cottonwood High while profiling Kealia’s rising soccer career. The newspaper’s reporting offers one of the clearest contemporary accounts of Ben as both an educator and a deeply involved sports parent.
These records make it inaccurate to describe his occupation simply as “unknown.” His documented career included teaching and wrestling coaching, although his current employment or retirement status is not clearly established through reliable recent sources.
Ben Ohai’s Wife and Family
Ben Ohai’s wife is Cindy Ohai, also identified in some university athletic records by the name Cindy Cook.
A 2012 Deseret News feature explicitly referred to Cindy as Ben’s wife, while official athletic biographies from USC and the University of North Carolina identify Cindy and Ben as the parents of their daughters.
The family became particularly notable because of its strong sporting background.
Official UNC records from Kealia’s college years state that she had three sisters: Cami, Megan and Aubrey, meaning Ben and Cindy had four daughters in the household.
Kealia Ohai Watt
Kealia Ohai Watt is the most publicly recognizable of Ben’s daughters.
Born in Utah in 1992, she developed into one of the country’s leading young soccer players. She played college soccer for the University of North Carolina, helped the Tar Heels win the 2012 NCAA championship, and later played professionally for the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars.
UNC’s official player biography identifies her directly as the daughter of Cindy and Ben Ohai.
Ben’s support became visible during Kealia’s soccer career. In a 2012 profile, the Deseret News described him traveling extensively to watch her compete, including traveling to Japan for the U-20 Women’s World Cup and making trips to North Carolina.
When Kealia received her first senior U.S. national-team call-up in 2016, the newspaper again spoke with Ben about the significance of her getting the opportunity to make her debut close to home in Utah.
Megan Ohai Cushing
Ben’s daughter Megan Ohai also excelled at soccer.
USC Athletics records show that Megan played for the Trojans and was part of USC’s successful women’s soccer program. Her official university profile specifically notes that her father, Ben, was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler and NCAA finalist at BYU.
Megan later married former NFL linebacker Brian Cushing, who spent his playing career with the Houston Texans. ESPN has confirmed their marriage.
Ben Ohai and J.J. Watt’s Family Connection
Another reason searches for Ben Ohai have grown is his connection to former NFL superstar J.J. Watt.
Kealia Ohai married Watt on February 15, 2020, in the Bahamas. The marriage was reported by ESPN and ABC News.
That makes Ben Ohai J.J. Watt’s father-in-law.
Interestingly, the connection between the two athletic families already existed through Megan. ESPN reported that Kealia and J.J. were introduced through Brian Cushing, who was Watt’s former Texans teammate and Megan Ohai’s husband.
The extended family therefore connects accomplishments across college wrestling, women’s soccer and professional football.
Ben Ohai Family and Relationship Table
| Person | Relationship to Ben Ohai | Publicly Documented Information |
|---|---|---|
| Cindy Ohai / Cindy Cook | Wife | Identified as Ben’s wife and mother of his daughters |
| Kealia Ohai Watt | Daughter | Former professional soccer player and U.S. international |
| Megan Ohai Cushing | Daughter | Former USC soccer player |
| Cami Ohai | Daughter | Listed in official college athletic family records |
| Aubrey Ohai | Daughter | Listed in official college athletic family records |
| J.J. Watt | Son-in-law | Former NFL defensive end; married Kealia in 2020 |
| Brian Cushing | Son-in-law | Former Houston Texans linebacker; married Megan |
The four daughters are supported by university athletic records, while the Watt and Cushing connections are documented by major sports outlets.
The Personal Side of Ben Ohai’s Story
Ben’s public record offers a relatively rare view of someone who achieved considerable success in sports without turning that success into a celebrity identity.
The most revealing established accounts of his personal side come through his involvement in his daughters’ athletic careers.
In 2012, Deseret News described the financial and personal commitment he made to following Kealia’s soccer career. He traveled internationally and across the United States to watch major matches while working as a teacher.
That reporting provides concrete evidence of an involved father without needing to invent personality traits such as “humble,” “strict,” or “quietly inspirational,” descriptions frequently repeated by less carefully sourced biography websites.
His own competitive experience likely gave him a unique perspective on high-level sport, but it would be speculation to claim exactly how he coached or advised his daughters unless those conversations were publicly documented.
Important Public Mentions and Notable Moments
Ben Ohai’s public history includes several noteworthy milestones.
His first major documented athletic achievements came through college wrestling. He placed third in the 1973 NCAA Division I Championships and reached the national final in 1974.
His later induction into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1983 recognized the lasting importance of those accomplishments.
He then moved into coaching and education, including roles at BYU, Spanish Fork High and Cottonwood High.
Decades later, media coverage increasingly mentioned him as Kealia’s father. His comments to the Deseret News around her 2012 NCAA tournament run and her 2016 U.S. national-team call-up offered direct glimpses into the family’s sports journey.
Recent Public Visibility of Ben Ohai
Ben himself continues to have a relatively limited public media presence.
Recent sports coverage has focused more heavily on Kealia and J.J. Watt than on Ben. In July 2026, the Deseret News reported on Kealia returning to Utah in connection with soccer and her involvement alongside J.J. as minority investors in Burnley Football Club.
That continuing interest in Kealia’s career and family naturally keeps searches for Ben Ohai biography, family and wrestling career active.
However, recent coverage should not be mistaken for evidence that Ben has started a new public career. Strong recent sources do not establish a new profession, business venture or major public role for him.
His best-documented legacy remains his earlier work in wrestling, coaching and education, along with his connection to an unusually athletic family.
What Is Not Reliably Known About Ben Ohai
Despite the growing number of websites publishing profiles about him, several basic details remain uncertain.
There is no authoritative publicly available source reviewed here establishing Ben Ohai’s exact date of birth, current age, parents’ names, siblings, personal net worth or current employment status.
Precise net-worth estimates published by celebrity websites are especially questionable. Ben’s historical work as a teacher, coach and athlete is documented, but there are no public financial disclosures that would justify assigning him a specific personal fortune.
His complete educational history is also sometimes presented online with more certainty than the primary record supports. BYU is firmly established through his wrestling career, while other claimed colleges should be described carefully unless backed by institutional documentation.
FAQs About Ben Ohai
Who is Ben Ohai?
Ben Ohai is a former BYU wrestler, wrestling coach and educator best known today as the father of former professional soccer player Kealia Ohai Watt. He earned NCAA Division I All-American honors twice.
Was Ben Ohai a wrestler?
Yes. Ben Ohai was an elite collegiate wrestler at Brigham Young University. He finished third nationally at 190 pounds in 1973 and second in 1974.
What was Ben Ohai’s wrestling record?
The Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame credits Ben with a 116–8 collegiate record and states that he never lost to a Western Athletic Conference opponent.
Who is Ben Ohai’s wife?
Ben Ohai’s wife is Cindy Ohai. University athletic records also identify her as Cindy Cook. They are the parents of Kealia, Megan, Cami and Aubrey.
How many children does Ben Ohai have?
Official university athletic records indicate that Ben and Cindy’s family includes four daughters: Cami, Megan, Kealia and Aubrey.
Is Ben Ohai related to J.J. Watt?
Yes. J.J. Watt is Ben Ohai’s son-in-law. Watt married Ben’s daughter Kealia Ohai in the Bahamas on February 15, 2020.
What did Ben Ohai do after wrestling?
Ben worked in wrestling coaching and education. He served as an assistant coach at BYU and coached at Spanish Fork and Cottonwood high schools. He was also documented as a social studies and history teacher at Cottonwood High.
What is Ben Ohai’s net worth?
There is no reliably documented public net-worth figure for Ben Ohai. Websites publishing exact estimates do not provide the financial records needed to verify them.
Final Thoughts
Ben Ohai’s story is notable in its own right. Before becoming known as Kealia Ohai Watt’s father or J.J. Watt’s father-in-law, he was one of BYU wrestling’s top competitors, earning consecutive NCAA All-American honors and reaching the national championship final in 1974.
He later carried that sporting background into coaching and education. At the same time, Ben and his wife Cindy raised a family in which athletic success continued into another generation, most visibly through soccer players Megan and Kealia.
The strongest Ben Ohai biography therefore is not one built from unverified claims about wealth, age or private relationships. It is the documented story of a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, BYU Hall of Fame inductee, coach, teacher, husband and father whose family became closely connected with major figures in American soccer and football.
