Selflessness and staying in reality are two things things Benjamin N. Cardozo High School Assistant Varsity Football Coach O’Connor embodies as he leads a program he played a huge role in establishing. Over the years, he has shared the successes and accomplishments that both he and his team have achieved.

Coach O’Connor’s passion for football began when he was a child, due to his father coaching a local football team. With his older brother playing on that team, it opened his eyes to what he could be a part of.

Coach O’Connor always feels that one of the most important things to coaching is to be a realist no matter what other preconceived notions are surrounding the team.

“Expectations are one thing, reality is something else,” he said. “You want the best for all your players.”

“You want them to have experiences that last them a lifetime the same way it has done for me,” he added. “You want moments that have them build character as they become young men, but for me as a team we want to have a winning record and make playoff appearances.”  

While coaching the Judges for the past six years, the football team has steadily improved each season. Most notable is back in the years 2022 through 2023, when the team went undefeated. With Coach O’Connor’s lead, the season helped put the Cardozo football program in the spotlight.

With the diversity the team has—players with all different personalities and skills—Coach O’Connor believes the key is patience. He also shares that he has to be a teacher to his players, treating them similarly to how he treats students.

He tries to ensure his players know that on both the football field, and in the classroom, there are responsibilities for them. These responsibilities they have—both as an athlete and as a student—sets them up for success.