VERMONT SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Photo Credit- Burlington Free Press

Essex

Coach- ice hockey, soccer, softball

Inducted 2022

In more than four decades on the sidelines at Essex High School, Bill O’Neil led three Hornets programs to a combined 24 state championships and nearly 1,300 victories, arguably the winningest coach in Vermont sports history.

A native of Lake Placid, New York, O’Neil originally came to the Green Mountains to play hockey, soccer and baseball at Norwich University. But he left his greatest sports legacy when he returned several years later to become a teacher and coach at Essex, where he amassed a three-sport record of 1,293 wins, 592 losses, and 85 ties.

In his 44 seasons as the school’s boy’s hockey coach, O’Neil’s teams went 636-292-33 with 14 state championships. In girl’s soccer, his teams went 396-176-52 with six titles over 37 seasons. And as the coach of the softball team, O’Neil led the Hornets to a 261-124 record with four state crowns. 

He was the national high school boy’s hockey coach of the year in 2006. And in 2007-08, all three of his Essex teams captured state championships each season.

O’Neil, who now resides in Georgia, Vt., became only the second Vermonter tabbed to join the National Federation High School (NFHS) Hall of Fame in 2018, an honor that followed induction into the Vermont Principals’ Association (2016) and Norwich University (1990) halls of fame. The American Hockey Coaches Association also named O’Neil its John Mariucci award winner in 2016, an award that recognizes the exemplary career of a secondary school coach.

Several of his Essex student-athletes went on to compete in the NCAA Division I level including hockey players Justin Martin (Vermont), who was a NHL draft choice, and current Hornets boys coach Chris Line (Clarkson). VSHOF inductees Libby Smith played for O’Neil in soccer and Sarah Schreib was a softball standout.

After retiring from teaching and coaching at Essex, O’Neil became a volunteer assistant coach of the boy’s hockey team for former rival BFA-St. Albans, coached by 2020 VHSOF inductee Toby Ducolon.