Tom O'Connell's head coaching career began in 1964 at Braintree High, continued at Brandeis University, and concluded at Princeton in 1997.
A founder of the Massachusetts High School Baseball Coaches Association and an inductee to its hall of fame, O'Connell coached the 1966 Braintree High team to the Eastern Massachusetts championship. His 1977 Brandeis team made it to the final game of the Division III World Series, and his 1985, 1991, and 1996 Princeton squads advanced to the NCAA Div. I Tournament.
His 172-73-6 record at Brandeis included six consecutive NCAA appearances, and he had a 323-313-6 mark at Princeton.
O'Connell, known as “Lefty” when he pitched at Braintree High and the University of Connecticut, stayed close to the sport after Princeton. He was a coach in the Cape Cod Baseball League, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds, and a head coach and recruiter for Babe Ruth League teams.
An Army veteran, O'Connell graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1955 after helping lead the Huskies to the Yankee Conference baseball title as co-captain. He received a master's in education from Suffolk University in 1963.
O'Connell was inducted into the Braintree High, Brandeis and Babe Ruth League International Halls of Fame.
