University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Timothy J. O'Connell 1976 - Hockey
Tim O'Connell, a 1986 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was Vermont's most prolific hockey scorer ever and served as a symbol of both the mighty Division II era and Vermont's successful ascension into Division I. O'Connell set Vermont records for career games played, 129; goals, 99; assists, 135; and points, 234. The only mark that eluded him was points per game, held by O'Connell's one-time teammate, Pat Wright.
O'Connell's finest season (1974-75) was a landmark year for UVM, the team's first at the Division I level. He scored a nation-leading 41 goals that year, still the best season on the Vermont books, in leading the Catamounts to a 24-12 record. The team was 16-4-0 in the ECAC regular season that year to finish in thyird place O'Connell added UVM records for assists (41) and points (82) in a season. That season he had four hat tricks and scored five game-winners. Not surprisingly, he was named a first-team All-American, Vermont's first in Division I. He also picked up All-New England and All-ECAC honors, and was selected Athlete of the Year by the Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
For two years prior to Vermont's jump to Division I, the team won ECAC Division II championships, and in 1974 lost to Minnesota-Duluth in the finals of the National Invitational Tournament. In those two seasons, Vermont was 53-11 overall and an astonishing 37-1 against Division II opponents.
As a freshman, O'Connell riddled the opposition for 31 goals and 21 assists - a UVM freshman-record 52 points - and was named ECAC Rookie of the Year. He followed that up with 33 goals and 24 assists in 1973-74.
O'Connell's toughest year was his senior campaign. He suffered a separated shoulder early on, and played his last 20 games with the injury. He still "managed" 13 goals and 31 assists. Then-head coach Jim Cross - who also coached All-American centers Pat Wright, Willie MacKinnon and Kirk McCaskill - called O'Connell the best he had ever directed.
A native of Cohasset, Mass., O'Connell played one year with the San Diego Mariners of the World Hockey League. He returned to Vermont and has been active in youth hockey. The son of Tom O'Connell, a former NFL quarterback, his brother, Mike, was an NHL veteran who starred with Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.
