WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University Department of Athletics is mourning the loss of two coaches who have been inducted into the Brandeis Hall of Fame. Over the weekend, 2009 inductee Bud Collins passed away in Brookline, Mass., and on Monday evening, 2003 inductee Tom O'Connell of the baseball team, died in Princeton, N.J.
Collins, the noted writer for the Boston Globe and television commentator, served as the first coach of Brandeis Tennis from 1959 through 1963, posting 48 wins in that span, including an undefeated season in 1959. His inaugural team featured Brandeis Hall of Famer Martin Zelnik '61, Brandeis Board of Trustee member Stephen Reiner '61 and countercultural icon Abby Hoffman. Collins is also a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and had the Press Center at the U.S. Open Tennis Center named after him in 2015.
Boston Globe obituary * ESPN Feature
O'Connell owns the best winning percentage in Brandeis baseball history. He coached the Judges from 1971 through 1982 and posted a record of 172-73-6 for a .697 mark. He led Brandeis baseball to six-straight NCAA Division III tournament appearances, including a berth at the 1977 Division III College World Series. That year's edition of the Judges finished in 2nd place, still a baseball team record. O'Connell went on to coach at Princeton University and has been inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame as well.
O'Connell's funeral mass will be held Monday, March 15 at 10am at St. Paul's Catholic Church on Nassau Street in Princeton, N.J. It will be proceeded by the viewing on March 14 from 4-7 at 40 Vandeventer Avenue in Princeton.