Edward William O'Neil (born September 8, 1952) is an American football

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former professional

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, who played seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL).

High school and college

O'Neil was named a high school

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n while attending Warren Area High School in

Warren, Pennsylvania Warren is a city in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. The population was 9,404 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Fores ...

. From 1970 to 1973, he played linebacker for coaching legend

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...

at Penn State. A three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

, he was

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

of the

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

' undefeated 1973 team and was named an All-American that same season. O'Neil earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Health and Physical Education from Penn State University in 1974. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta.

Professional career

O'Neil was a first round draft pick, 8th overall, by the Detroit Lions in the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have ha ...

. He played

for the Lions from 1974 to 1979 and the Green Bay Packers in 1980.

Coaching career

He was the defensive coordinator for Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. He was hired March 2, 2007 to replace former coordinator

Rod Rust Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to: Devices * Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment * Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority * Connecting rod, main, couplin ...

, who now serves as a defensive consultant. Prior to coaching in the CFL, O'Neil spent three seasons as defensive coordinator for NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy (2004-2006). He also coached for the

Rhein Fire Rhein may refer to: Places * Rhine, a major river in Europe (german: Rhein, link=no) * Rhein, a village in the municipality of Morsbach in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Rhein (Ostpreussen), a former name of the town Ryn in Poland Ships * SM ...

in 2002 and 2003. It was as linebackers and

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

coach at

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...

(1984-1994) that O'Neil first worked for future

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Dick Curl Richard Curl (born May 4, 1940) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Trenton State College in 1974, compiling a record of 5–4–1. Curl also was the head coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NF ...

. From 1996 to 1998, O'Neil was defensive coordinator for the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

. He was also on the staff of

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

, followed by a year in

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

during 1983 under head coach

Sam Wyche Samuel David Wyche (; January 5, 1945 – January 2, 2020) was an American football quarterback and coach. He was a quarterback and head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals and a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. As head coach, he ...

. In 2010, O'Neil became an assistant coach for the Niagara-Wheatfield High School Falcons football team in

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

. In 2012,O'Neil was the head coach of North Tonawanda High School's Junior Varsity team. In 2013 was the assistant defensive coordinator of the North Tonawanda High School's Varsity Team. In 2014 he retired from coaching.

Personal life

O'Neil lives in Pendleton, New York with his wife, Nancy. His eldest son, Kevin O'Neil, played linebacker at Syracuse University. Son Keith O'Neil played in the NFL for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts. His son-in law,

Drew Haddad Andrew George Haddad (born August 15, 1978) is a former National Football League wide receiver, who played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills. He finished his career with the San Diego Chargers. He was drafted with the 25th pick o ...

, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the

2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...

. He played for the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers after setting several records for receiving at the

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Ed 1952 births Living people American football linebackers Buffalo Bulls football coaches Detroit Lions players Eastern Michigan Eagles football coaches Frankfurt Galaxy coaches Green Bay Packers players Hamilton Tiger-Cats coaches Indiana Hoosiers football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football players People from Niagara County, New York People from Warren, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Rhein Fire coaches Rutgers Scarlet Knights football coaches Toronto Argonauts coaches People from Pendleton, New York