Hall of Fame
Dermott O’Connell was a star player for the Holy Cross basketball program in the late 1940s, and was part of some of the best teams in school history.
In 1946-1947, he helped the Crusaders to an overall record of 27-3 and the NCAA Championship. During the championship game against Oklahoma, he ranked second on the team in scoring with 16 points.
During the 1947-1948 campaign, O’Connell helped Holy Cross to the Sugar Bowl Tournament title, an overall mark of 26-4 and a third place finish in the NCAA Tournament.
A co-captain of the 1948-1949 squad, he led the team to a 19-8 record, while scoring 27 points against Brown.
Over the course of his career, O’Connell played on Crusader teams which had an overall record of 84-18. In addition, his 782 career points scored were the third-most in school history at the time of his graduation.
He went on to play two seasons in the National Basketball Association with the Boston Celtics and the St. Louis Bombers.
O’Connell passed away in 1988.
