Ed O’Connor; College Star in Basketball
Ed O’Connor, a Manhattan College basketball star who led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1955 and was the first player from his school drafted by the NBA, has died. He was 68.
He died Wednesday of undisclosed causes while on vacation in South Carolina.
O’Connor made 60.5% of his shots, making 147 of 243 attempts in his senior season. He was the first player in school history to score 1,000 points, finishing with 1,271 points in 106 games, and was the leading scorer on Manhattan’s National Invitational Tournament teams in 1953-55. He is a member of the college’s sports Hall of Fame.
After his senior season, O’Connor was drafted in the eighth round by the Milwaukee Hawks but was cut in training camp. He spent his career as a high school coach, retiring in 1995.
O’Connor is survived by his wife, Barbara, three sons and two daughters.
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