Danny O'Connor

Player, Administrator, Coach, Coaching Tutor, Referee

Hall of Fame induction

2000

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International

17 caps

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Secretarial Roles

Secretary Ulster Schools, Ulster Council. Member IBBA Council (20 years)

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Coaching Roles

Coach and Coaching Tutor

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Referee Roles

FIBA Level, Referee tutor

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Clubs

St. Malachy's College, Antrim

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Introduced to the game in St. Malachy's College in Belfast in 1948, Danny O'Connor made a very significant impact on the game both as a player and later as an administrator. As a player, Danny represented Antrim in the old Inter-County Series and Ulster at Inter-Provincial level. During his playing career, he was the top scorer in the Ulster leagues for a number of years and was capped internationally 17 times. 

After his playing career ended Danny became a vital administrator of the game in Northern Ireland.  He became secretary of both the Ulster Schools and Ulster Council during the 1960s and 1970s. He later became chairman where he helped develop the game significantly. Aside from driving the game locally he also served on the I.B.B.A (now Basketball Ireland) Council for over 20 years.

On the sidelines, Danny went from being a strong coach himself to being one of the first coaching tutors in the country. He also developed the course "introducing basketball to the primary school" which was taught to Primary School teachers in St. Pats in Drumcondra and in Belfast. 

Danny also managed to reach FIBA level as a referee which he achieved in  Vienna in 1967. This qualification allowed him to represent Ireland as a referee for over 20 years internationally. He also used his knowledge to deliver tutor courses throughout Ireland, educating the next wave of referees for over 30 years. 

Lastly, Danny also played a major role in the group tasked with developing a National Arena which ultimately led to the National Basketball Arena opening in 1993.