Fred O'Connor

{{Short description|American football coach and administrator}}

{{about||the American soccer player|Fred O'Connor (soccer)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Fred O'Connor

| image =

| alt =

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1939|9|1}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = East Stroudsburg State

| coach_years1 = 1962–1963

| coach_team1 = Oceanside HS (NY) (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 1964–1965

| coach_team2 = Newfield HS (NY) (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1966–1969

| coach_team3 = C. W. Post (assistant)

| coach_years4 = 1970

| coach_team4 = Villanova (QB/WR)

| coach_years5 = 1971

| coach_team5 = Maryland (QB/WR)

| coach_years6 = 1972

| coach_team6 = Southern Miss (OC/QB)

| coach_years7 = 1973

| coach_team7 = Villanova (OC)

| coach_years8 = 1974

| coach_team8 = Florida Blazers (OB)

| coach_years9 = 1975–1977

| coach_team9 = Chicago Bears (OB)

| coach_years10 = 1978

| coach_team10 = San Francisco 49ers (OC)

| coach_years11 = 1978

| coach_team11 = San Francisco 49ers (interim HC)

| coach_years12 = 1979–1980

| coach_team12 = Washington Redskins (OB)

| coach_years13 = 1981

| coach_team13 = Montreal Alouettes (OC)

| coach_years14 = 1987–1989

| coach_team14 = Catholic University

| coach_years15 = 2000

| coach_team15 = Florida Atlantic (WR)

| coach_years16 = 2001–2002

| coach_team16 = Florida Atlantic (RB)

| coach_years17 = 2003

| coach_team17 = Florida Atlantic (QB)

| coach_years18 = 2004

| coach_team18 = Florida Atlantic (spec. asst. to the HC)

| coach_years19 = 2004

| coach_team19 = Florida Atlantic (RB)

| coach_years20 = 2005–2006

| coach_team20 = Florida Atlantic (spec. asst. to the HC)

| admin_years1 = 1984–1990

| admin_team1 = Catholic

| overall_record = 1–6 (NFL)
17–13 (college)

| bowl_record =

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}}

Fred O'Connor (born September 1, 1939) is a former American football coach and administrator whose career spanned more than 30 years at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. He served in coaching positions in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and World Football League (WFL). Most notably, O'Connor was the interim head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers for the last seven games of the 1978 season, posting a mark of 1–6.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UNk8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Hy4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2979,195278 |title=Name Fred O'Connor new coach of 49ers |agency=Associated Press |date=November 1, 1978 |work=Bangor Daily News |accessdate=December 3, 2014 }} He also was the executive director of athletics at The Catholic University of America from May 1984 through June 1990 and served as the Cardinals head football coach for three seasons (1987–1989), compiling an overall college football record of 17 wins and 13 losses.

O'Connor began his professional football career as the offensive backfield coach on Jack Pardee's staffs with both the World Football League's Florida Blazers in 1974 and the Chicago Bears for three seasons from 1975 to 1977. He was reunited with Pardee in a similar capacity with the Washington Redskins on February 5, 1979.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1979/02/06/oconnor-hired-by-redskinsex-49er-coach-to-handle-backs/959a49ef-ae13-4dea-b3aa-f65c23814f1b/ Brady, Dave. "O'Connor Hired by Redskins; Ex-49er Coach To Handle Backs," The Washington Post, Tuesday, February 6, 1979.] Retrieved February 13, 2022. Coached three Hall of Fame Running Backs, Walter Payton, O.J. Simpson and John Riggins. Also coached in four All-Star games; 1976 Senior Bowl, 1978 Challenge Bowl and the 2009 and 2010 Texas vs The Nation games.