FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com february 19, 2015 • The Courier sun 11 Beloved St. Francis Prep football coach Vince O’Connor dead at 85 164-49 Cross Bay Blvd • Howard Beach www.VetroNYC.com 44-37 Douglaston Pkwy • Douglaston www.Giardinos.com VETRO IS CELEBRATING NYC RESTAURANT WEEK Visit between February 17 – March 6 and enjoy our Restaurant Week Menus 3 Course Lunch $20.15* Includes Choice of Appetizer, Entrée & Chef’s Dessert Choice (Available Tuesday – Saturday from 12pm – 3pm) 3 Course Dinner $28.00* INCLUDES CHOICE OF: 8 Appetizers, 9 Entrees and Chef’s Dessert Enjoy our signature favorites including Asiago Rice Balls, Chicken Meatballs, Clams Orgeganate & more Available Tuesday – Thursday 4:30pm – 10pm & Friday & Saturday from 4pm – 6pm *Prices exclude beverage, tax & gratuity GIARDINO IS CELEBRATING RESTAURANT WEEK! Visit us February 16 – March 6 and enjoy our Restaurant Week Specials including our signature favorites 3 Course lunch served from 12pm – 4pm for only $15.00* (Available Monday – Friday) Or come in for Dinner and enjoy our 4 course Chef tasting menu for only $28.00* (Available Monday – Thursday a fter 4pm) We look forward to having you as our guest! *Prices exclude tax & gratuity Call for reservations 718- 428-1090 Call for reservations 718-843-8387 BY THE QUENS COURIER STAFF [email protected] @QueensCourier Vince O’Connor, the legendary and beloved football coach at St. Francis Prep for more than six decades, died on Feb. 13. He was 85. Sources close to O’Connor said he passed away at his daughter’s home in Floral Park. News of O’Connor’s death came as a blow to students, colleagues and the thousands of alumni whose lives he touched during 62 years as football coach. He has been at the helm of the school’s football team since 1952 when St. Francis Prep was at North Sixth Street in Brooklyn. Hundreds of people who knew O’Connor came out to show their respect at his wake on Feb. 17 and 18, and the school is expecting a large crowd to be at the funeral, which will take place on Feb. 19 at 10:30 a.m. in the school’s auditorium. During his storied career, O’Connor amassed more than 300 victories to be among the top two winningest football coaches in state history. His teams have won 16 CHSFL titles, including 14 at the highest level, and he has coached nine players who went on to the NFL. But his greatest legacy may be the tight-knit community that he helped build around the school and his football program. With rare exceptions, all of his assistant coaches over the years have come from the ranks of his former players. O’Connor, friends said, never intended to retire despite his age. “I enjoy what I do. It’s as simple as that,” he said in a published report two years ago. Under Coach O’Connor, the Terriers posted undefeated seasons in 1957, 1964, 1966, 1972, 1973 and 1983. In 1992, he was honored as National Coach of the year. O’Connor has been named New York’s Catholic High School Coach of the Year 20 times and he has served as president of the CHSFL. He was selected in 2000 for the Frank McGuire Foundation Award, which recognizes high school coaches for their positive impact on students. He is survived by his wife Mary, his daughter Rose and her three children, Patrick, Connor and Dylan. Photo courtesy of the St. Francis Prep Facebook page
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