Cornell University Athletics

During his tenure at Cornell his wrestling teams won 11 Eastern Intercollegiate Championships, including six in a row from 1910 to 1917, which still stands as an Eastern record. Between the years 1909 and 1932 his Cornell teams finished among the top three at the Intercollegiates except in 1911 and 1925. His total of 12 E.I.W.A. championships (one at Yale, 11 at Cornell) is another Eastern record that still stands. He was noted for his ability to take men with no high school wrestling experience and mold them into top competitors. One of his protégés, Ed Acker, became the only American wrestler to win a gold medal at the 1920 Olympics. O’Connell was asked to coach the ’24 Olympic team but was unable to accept the invitation.