Formidable Football Captain Tommy O'Connell

Named First Team All-League twice, Tommy O’Connell is currently playing his fifth season of Hopkins Football and his second as captain. He leads alongside Maurice Ellis ’27, Aedan Flanagan ’26, and Nate Levitt ’26.

When discussing his decision to try football, O’Connell said, “I started playing football in eighth grade because why not. It seemed like a good time.” Varsity Football Head Coach Tim Phipps quickly recognized O’ Connell’s potential: “We knew early on that he was a perfect fit for football. He craves competition and loves challenges.” Phipps continued, “As the seasons have passed, Tommy has grown into a leader on the field. He works very hard in the offseason, he knows the playbooks inside and out, and is a fierce competitor.” Holden Scheps ’27 spoke to O’Connell’s improvement over the years: “His freshman year he was pretty skinny but bulked up a lot going into his sophomore season. He wanted to dominate on the field.” Ellis agreed, “Tommy has put so much work in from when I first met him. He loves the game of football and you could see that through the progress he has made over the years.” Levitt said, “His physical abilities have improved, but his leadership growth has been the most noticeable.”

Scheps pointed out O’Connell’s role as a leader: “He expects the best out of everyone on the field, not only starting players but also those who have potential to do great things in the future.” Scheps continued, “He’ll compliment you on a good play and correct you when you make a mistake. This type of leadership led to him being a captain not only his senior season but junior season as well.” Having joined the team as a freshman while O’Connell was a sophomore, co-captain Ellis also remarked that O’Connell works toward improving those around him: “Tommy is a tough player and he is great at contributing his relentless efforts towards making the team better.” Phipps described O’Connell as an important part of the team, saying, “He is a great teammate and we are lucky to have him with us.” O’Connell commented on his role as a captain, stating, “Being a captain you have to be responsible.” Flanagan spoke to his dominance on the field: "He's a very fearless player on the field, opponent coaches love to run the ball away from him because they know he is a force and not afraid to lay out a big hit.”

O’Connell’s favorite memory during football was “playing against Fieldston in 2024.” He described the atmosphere: “It was in the city. It was a sweet field. The buildings were around us. People were watching from their balconies. It was sick. We won it in the last minutes.” Phipps remembered this same game as a moment which he believed “perfectly demonstrates who Tommy is as a football player.” He said, “We jumped on Fieldston early but they started fighting back, and it turned into a very physical and close game right into the 4th quarter. We had two running backs injured and had to change up the offense to accommodate the personnel.” Phipps added, “It was tough moving the ball until Tommy pointed at himself and then ran over to me and said, ‘Just keep running it to our side of the line, we will do it.’ So that is what we did. We kept running it to his side in the fourth quarter. His blocks along with his teammates' blocks sprung Maurice Ellis into the open where he got the first down that sealed the win for us.” 

Looking ahead to the future, O’Connell said that he is considering continuing football in college but is also exploring culinary school. Scheps said, “Tommy has improved his game itself but also as a teammate every season and if he continues his career, I’m sure that growth will continue.”