Tom O'Connor '68 Leads George Mason Athletic Program;
Men's Basketball Team Reaches Final Four

March, 2006 - The Cinderella story of the George Mason University men's basketball team advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament has captivated America. Helping to lead the way on this magical journey has been Tom O'Connor '68, assistant vice president/director of athletics at George Mason.

"Being in the Final Four gives us great visibility and a unique opportunity to tell the story of George Mason," said O'Connor. "The success of our men's basketball team has served as a rallying point not only for our campus community, but for all of northern Virginia."

George Mason (27-7), the eleven-seed in the Washington D.C. region of the NCAA Tournament, has made an improbable run to the Final Four by defeating sixth-seeded Michigan State, third-seeded North Carolina, seventh-seeded Wichita State, and number one seed Connecticut. During their impressive run of upsets, the Patriots have taken out the last two national champions in Connecticut and North Carolina. George Mason is making its first ever appearance in the Final Four and is only the second double-digit seed to make the Final Four since eleventh-seeded LSU did so in 1986. The Patriots will square off against third-seeded Florida live on CBS at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.

O'Connor earned a bachelor's degree in History from Assumption in 1968. He was a four-year member of the men's basketball team and served as a captain for the Greyhounds in 1967–68. Known as "T-Bird," O'Connor was one of the premier guards of the "guard-rich" era of Assumption men's basketball for Hall of Fame coaches Andy Laska and Joe O'Brien in the 1960s. The Greyhounds participated in an NCAA Division II record 15 straight regional tournaments from 1963-77. O'Connor was a major cog in four of those NCAA regional tournament teams including the regional champion in 1966.

For his career, O'Connor averaged 12.5 points and scored 1,121 points to finish as the third-leading scorer in the College's history (currently 25th). O'Connor was inducted into the Assumption College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He was named all-New England by the Associated Press (all divisions) four straight years and by United Press International three straight years. He was also accorded all-district honors by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) in both his junior and senior years. He will always be remembered for his 27-point effort vs. Providence College in his sophomore year when he matched Providence All-American Jimmy Walker point-for-point.

O'Connor served on Assumption's Athletics Capital Campaign Committee for the Multi-Sport Stadium and is a member of the Washington D.C. Area Regional Alumni Club.

A native of Union City, NJ, O'Connor is in his 11th year at George Mason and his fourth decade in NCAA Division I athletics. O'Connor previously served as athletic director at Loyola (MD) College (1976-86), at Santa Clara University (1986-92) and at St. Bonaventure University (1992-94). He was also the head basketball coach at Dartmouth College (1972-74) and at Loyola (1974-76).

George Mason Athletics Web site

ESPN.com's George Mason Men's Basketball Clubhouse