Ben Ohai is best known as the father of former professional soccer player Kealia Ohai Watt. However, his place in the family story extends well beyond that familiar connection. A former college wrestler with Hawaiian roots, Ben helped create an athletic household in which determination, discipline, and family support carried real importance.
Public curiosity about him has grown alongside Kealia’s success in American women’s soccer and her marriage to former NFL star J.J. Watt. Ben and Cindy Ohai raised four daughters, including two accomplished college soccer players, while maintaining a relatively private family life in Utah.
Although many personal details about Ben remain outside the public record, reliable information reveals a meaningful story. His wrestling achievements, cultural heritage, and influence as a father help explain the strong foundation behind one of America’s most recognizable sporting families.
Who Is Ben Ohai?
Ben Ohai is a native Hawaiian, former college wrestler, husband of Cindy Ohai, and father of Cami, Aubrey, Megan, and Kealia. He became more widely recognized after Kealia developed into an elite soccer player and represented the United States internationally.
Unlike his famous daughter and son-in-law, Ben has never pursued a highly public career. Most available information about him comes from coverage of his daughters’ athletic achievements and occasional comments he has made about their important career moments.
This limited public presence should not be mistaken for a lack of influence. Ben appears to have played a steady role behind the scenes, supporting a household in which several family members reached a high level in competitive sports.
Ben Ohai’s Hawaiian Roots and Cultural Background
Ben’s Hawaiian heritage is one of the most distinctive parts of the Ohai family identity. Although the family raised its children in Draper, Utah, its connection to Hawaii remained meaningful and influenced one of its most memorable family decisions.
Ben and Cindy named their youngest daughter after Kealia Beach on the island of Kauai. The name Kealia is generally pronounced “Kay-LEE-uh.” It gave their daughter a lasting connection to her father’s heritage even though she grew up far from Hawaii.
Kealia has acknowledged that people sometimes struggled to pronounce her name when she was young. Over time, she came to appreciate its meaning and the personal history it represented. That story offers a small but revealing example of how Ben’s background became part of his children’s identities.
His Accomplished Wrestling Background
Ben was an accomplished wrestler before his daughters became known for soccer. He competed for Brigham Young University and earned All-American recognition in 1973 and 1974. He was also an NCAA finalist, placing him among the strongest college wrestlers of his era.
Wrestling requires physical strength, but it also depends on patience, preparation, and mental discipline. While Ben has not publicly described every lesson he passed to his children, his own experience in demanding competition would have given him a clear understanding of athletic pressure.
His background also shows that sporting ability did not suddenly appear with Kealia and Megan. Competition was already part of the family’s history, and Ben knew firsthand what it took to train seriously, respond to setbacks, and perform on a major stage.
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Ben and Cindy Ohai’s Marriage and Home Life
Ben and Cindy Ohai built their family life in Utah, where they raised four daughters. Their children are Cami, Aubrey, Megan, and Kealia. Public attention tends to center on Megan and Kealia because of their soccer careers, but the family story includes all four sisters.
The home created by Ben and Cindy Ohai appears to have balanced ambition with stability. Two daughters became NCAA soccer champions at different universities, an unusual achievement that points to talent as well as years of encouragement and practical family support.
Parents of young athletes often manage transportation, schedules, competitions, school responsibilities, and emotional highs and lows. The accomplishments of the Ohai sisters suggest that Ben and Cindy offered the consistent backing needed for their children to explore their abilities seriously.
Ben Ohai’s Daughter Megan and Her Soccer Career
Megan Ohai, born in July 1989, became an outstanding player before Kealia entered the national spotlight. She attended the University of Southern California and played for the USC Trojans, establishing herself as a four-year starter.
Megan was part of the USC team that captured the 2007 NCAA women’s soccer championship. She also finished her college career with a respected place in the program’s record books, confirming that her success involved much more than being the older sister of another gifted player.
Her accomplishments helped establish the family’s strong connection to women’s soccer. Megan later married former NFL linebacker Brian Cushing, adding another professional athlete to the wider family circle.
Ben Ohai’s Relationship With Kealia Ohai Watt
Ben is often introduced simply as Kealia’s father, but that label carries considerable meaning within her story. He watched her develop from a highly gifted Utah child into a national champion, professional club captain, and United States international.
A particularly memorable moment came in 2016, when Kealia received a senior national-team opportunity in her home state. Her debut took place near the community where she had grown up and built her early reputation. For Ben, the location made an already important achievement feel even more personal.
Kealia scored shortly after entering her first senior international match, turning the occasion into a remarkable family memory. It was the kind of milestone that reflected years of work by the player and years of support from the people closest to her.
Kealia Ohai Watt’s Early Soccer Development
Kealia was born on January 31, 1992, and grew up in Draper. She attended Alta High School, where she became one of the most decorated young soccer players in Utah. Her high school team won four consecutive state championships between 2006 and 2009.
She earned major individual honors, including recognition as Utah’s Gatorade Player of the Year and a national high school player of the year. She also played club soccer for Utah Avalanche, further developing her speed, movement, and attacking instincts.
One especially notable part of her journey is that she is legally blind in her right eye. She nevertheless reached the highest levels of the sport through awareness, adaptation, technical ability, and determination. Her career challenged assumptions about what an athlete with limited vision can accomplish.
College Success and a World Championship
Kealia attended the University of North Carolina, one of the most respected programs in women’s college soccer. Playing for the Tar Heels exposed her to elite coaching and intense competition while helping prepare her for international and professional opportunities.
In 2012, she scored the winning goal as North Carolina captured the NCAA Division I championship. That achievement gave the Ohai family its second NCAA women’s soccer champion after Megan’s title with USC in 2007.
The same year, Kealia represented the United States at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. She scored the decisive goal in the final against Germany, securing the championship for her country. It remains one of the defining moments of the broader Kealia Watt soccer story.
Kealia’s Professional Soccer Career
The Houston Dash selected Kealia with the second overall choice in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League college draft. She was the expansion club’s first-ever college selection, making her an important part of its history from the beginning.
Her strongest individual season came in 2016. After becoming the Dash captain, she scored 11 goals over a ten-game stretch and finished level on goals in the race for the league’s Golden Boot. She was also selected for the NWSL Best XI.
A serious knee injury interrupted her momentum in 2017, but she worked through rehabilitation and returned to professional competition. That recovery offered another example of the resilience likely understood and valued within her athletic family.
Kealia joined the Chicago Red Stars ahead of the 2020 season. She later helped the team reach the 2021 NWSL Championship match. Across her league career with Houston and Chicago, she became known for her pace, direct attacking style, leadership, and ability to challenge defenses.
Representing the United States
Kealia played for the United States at several age levels, including the under-17, under-20, and under-23 teams. Her under-20 World Cup winner remains central to her international record, but she also reached the senior national team.
She made three senior appearances in 2016 and scored in her debut against Switzerland. The goal came less than a minute after she entered the match, giving her one of the fastest debut goals in the team’s history.
Her senior international career was shorter than many observers expected, particularly after her excellent club form. Still, becoming a United States international placed her among a relatively small group of players to represent the country at the highest level.
Kealia Ohai Watt and J.J. Watt
Kealia’s public profile expanded beyond soccer after her relationship with NFL star J.J. Watt became known in 2016. The couple became engaged in May 2019 and married in the Bahamas on February 15, 2020.
Their relationship joined two accomplished sporting families. J.J. became one of the leading defensive players of his NFL generation, while Kealia built her own record as a champion and professional soccer captain. Their achievements developed independently before their marriage.
The couple welcomed their first son, Koa James Watt, in October 2022. Their second son, Niko Benjamin Watt, arrived in June 2025. These additions made Ben a grandfather and introduced a new generation to the Ohai-Watt family.
In 2023, Kealia and J.J. became minority investors in Burnley Football Club in England. Their involvement gave Kealia a new connection to the sport after her playing career and strengthened the family’s ties with soccer audiences in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
A Wider Family Filled With Athletes
Ben’s extended family now includes several prominent football players. Megan’s husband, Brian Cushing, played linebacker in the NFL, while Kealia’s husband, J.J. Watt, built a celebrated professional career of his own.
The athletic links can make the family appear extraordinary, but success at that level still depends on individual work. Ben’s wrestling honors, Megan’s college title, Kealia’s soccer career, and the NFL achievements of their husbands belong to different sporting journeys.
What connects those stories is an understanding of competition and sacrifice. Family members who have experienced elite sports can recognize demanding schedules, injuries, public expectations, and the difficult transition that follows retirement.
Why Ben Ohai Remains a Private Figure
Despite his family’s visibility, Ben has largely stayed away from celebrity culture. He does not appear to maintain a major public platform, and detailed information about his current occupation, finances, and daily routine has not been widely confirmed.
That privacy deserves respect. Being related to famous athletes does not automatically make every part of a person’s life public. Responsible accounts of Ben should therefore concentrate on established details rather than repeating unsupported claims about his age, wealth, or profession.
His low profile also fits the role he seems to have chosen throughout his daughters’ careers. He has appeared in their story as a proud and supportive father without trying to turn their accomplishments into personal fame.
Ben Ohai’s Influence and Family Legacy
Ben’s clearest legacy can be seen through a combination of personal achievement, cultural identity, and family support. His own All-American wrestling career established an athletic example years before his daughters began collecting soccer honors.
His Hawaiian heritage gave the family another meaningful thread. Naming Kealia after a beach on Kauai connected his daughter to that background, and her distinctive name later became familiar to soccer followers around the world.
Most importantly, the achievements of Megan and Kealia show the value of a supportive foundation. Ben did not score their goals or win their championships, but his experience and presence were part of the environment that helped them grow into successful adults.
Final Thoughts
Ben Ohai is more than a passing name in Kealia Ohai Watt’s biography. He is a former two-time college wrestling All-American, a native Hawaiian, a husband, a father of four daughters, and a grandfather within a remarkable sporting family.
His story is not defined by constant media appearances. It is visible through the values surrounding his family: discipline, resilience, respect for heritage, and steady encouragement. Ben and Cindy Ohai helped raise daughters who pursued demanding goals while building lives of their own.
Kealia’s path from Utah youth soccer to NCAA and world championships brought the family international recognition. Behind that success stands a private father whose athletic background and cultural influence remain important parts of the Ohai family story.
FAQs
Who is Ben Ohai?
Ben Ohai is a former Brigham Young University wrestler and the father of former professional soccer player Kealia Ohai Watt. He is also known for his Hawaiian heritage and his role in an accomplished athletic family.
Is Ben Ohai Kealia Ohai Watt’s father?
Yes. Ben and his wife, Cindy Ohai, are Kealia’s parents. They raised Kealia and her sisters in Utah, where she began developing her soccer skills.
Was Ben Ohai an athlete?
Yes. Ben wrestled at Brigham Young University and earned All-American honors in 1973 and 1974. He also reached an NCAA final during his college career.
Is Ben Ohai Hawaiian?
Ben is described publicly as a native Hawaiian. His heritage influenced the name Kealia, which he and Cindy chose after Kealia Beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
How many children do Ben and Cindy Ohai have?
Ben and Cindy have four daughters: Cami, Aubrey, Megan, and Kealia. Megan and Kealia both became successful college soccer players and won NCAA championships.
Who is Ben Ohai’s daughter Megan?
Megan Ohai Cushing is a former USC soccer player who won the 2007 NCAA championship. She is married to former NFL linebacker Brian Cushing.
What did Kealia Ohai Watt achieve in soccer?
Kealia won an NCAA championship with North Carolina and the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup with the United States. She later captained the Houston Dash, played for the Chicago Red Stars, and represented the senior national team.
Is Ben Ohai related to J.J. Watt?
Ben is J.J. Watt’s father-in-law. J.J. married Kealia in February 2020, and the couple has two sons, Koa James and Niko Benjamin.
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