A man dedicated to kids, sports, and a city
- Peter Nakos
- Feb 13, 2015
- 5 min read
Pat O’Neil finishes his day in the bottom floor of Hillside Middle School. A day consists of running the the student council, and teaching his English learners students. In this classroom, he teaches what it means to be called an American, and the language that we speak here in America. He faces the challenges each day of communicating with children from all across the world and teaching them the right way to live their life. When one graduates from this program and moves on in their life, they leave with an education, an understanding of the English language, manners, and a father figure. But it doesn't stop when the bell rings. He helps run the Bring it! program at Hillside and can be seen at almost all city sporting events. To add to the list, he has thirty years of dedication to athletics in the state of New Hampshire. For these reasons, and more, O’Neil was named the 45th recipient of the Carl Lundholm Memorial Award for service to youth and athletics in New Hampshire.
Over the past thirty years at Hillside Middle School, O’Neil has affected many kids, and faculties lives. Steven Tighe, a co-worker for the past fifteen year recalls how welcoming Pat was when he first started working at Hillside. “We made a connection right away. Pat is an amazing human being. He is a man of great integrity and character. He is incredibly honest and one of the friendliest people I know.” Tighe went on to discuss how, “Pat is happiest when he talks about the successes of some of the students that he has worked with over the years.”
Principal of Hillside Middle School, Brendan McCafferty attests to O’Neil’s dedication in the classroom. “ He is a positive, consistent and meaningful presence in their lives. He meets the kids where they are, in terms of their needs and abilities.”
Pat O’Neil graduated from Trinity High School in 1980, where he was a three sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. From there he went onto the University of New Hampshire, and graduated with a bachelors degree in education in 1984. After graduating, Pat started on a road that would only result in one thing: giving back to his community. Now, in 2015, he can look back at the many sports he has coached over the years: Babe Ruth baseball, CYO basketball, high school football and basketball, and Little League baseball. All of this includes lots of memories, from many people, who all have one thing in common: they share some love for Pat O’Neil the coach, teacher, or friend.
Babe Ruth baseball provided many relationships and memories throughout the years. Mickey Hannigan’s first memory of O’Neil goes back to the time when he was playing on his fifteen year old all star baseball team that was in Stamford, Connecticut. Hannigan calls him a “good “ player who played third base, and recalls that in the championship game, Pat made an error playing third base, but blamed it on a rock the ball bounced on. Mickey laughed it off at the time but when he returned the next year to Stamford he went to the third base side of the diamond, and saw a huge rock. This just attests to one of the many characteristics of Pat O’Neil: the man cannot tell a lie.
Through his time in Babe Ruth one of the many constants was Phil Sapienza. The two played, coached, and have been great friends throughout the years. When asked what makes this man so special, he responded, “Without a doubt Pat’s character is second to none. I have seen this for forty years in many life situations. Pat O'Neil is the perfect role model not only for young people but people in general.” He continued to say that his fondest and most selfless memory was when, “ Pat showed up late at P.J O’Sullivans the night before Thanksgiving because he was out delivering food to the needy until eleven o’clock at night.”
In CYO basketball, O’Neil coached St. Anne’s to many state and regional championships. But, it was not basketball that separated him from all the other coaches. Rather, it was the effort he put into teaching the kids life lessons, making sure they excelled in school, and staying out of trouble. Tiong Bol, a junior at Central High School, said, “Coach O'Neil was a great coach and taught me a lot, on and off the court. One big thing Mr. O'Neil taught us was to always respect others like saying hello, shaking ones hand, and looking them in the eye and to always say thank you.” Seth Shea, also a junior at Central, followed up Tiong by stating, “My best memory with Mr. O'Neil was going undefeated. In the beginning of the season we really didn't have much experience with each other, but he had us together so much throughout the season that by the end we were like a family. Without Coach O'Neil I wouldn't have some of the friends I have today.” This is just another testament to the many lives O’Neil has touched while being a coach and mentor.
Longtime friend Bill Sheehan looks at O’Neil as a brother. The two met almost forty years ago at Trinity High School, and since then do almost anything and everything together. The two vacation together every year at Rye Beach, where their families and friends spend countless hours talking and playing bocce ball. When asked why he deserved the award so much Sheehan commented, “ There is no person more deserving to this award than Pat O'Neil. He best exemplifies the qualities needed to be a great coach and he has done this for more than three decades. Pat did not coach only one sport a year; rather he coached three sports a year and was often coaching two teams at a time when the seasons overlapped.” An ultimate testament to his dedication: O’Neil bought a van so he could pick up his players for practice and games. Sheehan sums it up best though, saying, “It is not by coincidence that Pat O'Neil is a superb coach and teacher as he cares about the person first and the student or athlete second. Just ask any of the student or athletes that were fortunate to have him for they know if they ever need help, they can always count on Pat O'Neil.”
On Sunday February 8th, O’Neil was awarded the Carl F. Lundholm award at the Radisson Hotel. The room was filled with family, friends, and former players he had coached. Personally, Pat O’Neil has been a figure in my life since I was about five years old, a sort of uncle. Throughout the years, Mr. O’Neil always encouraged me to go on and do great things with my life, to act like a gentleman, and push myself in everything I do. He also coached me in Babe Ruth, and taught me many life lessons. I do think that part of the reason I am the person I am today is directly because of the many lessons and experiences Pat O’Neil shared with me. So from the bottom of my heart, I give you my thanks and love Coach.
Comments