Senate Resolution No. 922

BY: Senator TEDISCO

HONORING Bob O'Connor posthumously upon the
occasion of his induction into the Schenectady City
School District Athletic Hall of Fame on September
15, 2025

WHEREAS, Excellence and success in competitive sports can be
achieved only through strenuous practice, team play, team spirit, and is
nurtured by dedicated coaching and strategic planning; and

WHEREAS, Athletic competition enhances the moral and physical
development of the young people of this State, preparing them for the
future by instilling the value of teamwork, encouraging a standard of
healthy living, imparting a desire for success, and developing a sense
of fair play and competition; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those outstanding athletes who have inspired and brought
pride to their schools and communities by achieving outstanding success
in competition, and attaining unprecedented success and the highest
level of personal achievement; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Bob O'Connor posthumously upon the occasion of his induction into the
Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame at its 2025
Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame & Reunion Dinner
on Monday, September 15, 2025, at the Event Center at Rivers Casino &
Resort, Schenectady, New York; and

WHEREAS, Bob O'Connor was a basketball and track & field star at the
original Schenectady High School (SHS) and was an aggressive forward on
the court; he was a key member of the outstanding 1925-26 SHS basketball
team that won the Eastern New York Championship; and

WHEREAS, Demonstrating his track and field acumen, Bob O'Connor was
an outstanding shot putter, winning the 1926 Sectional title, and
finishing second in the New York State meet at Cornell; he also recorded
a fourth-place finish in the discus at the State Meet; and

WHEREAS, Although SHS did not have a football team when he attended,
Bob O'Connor ultimately excelled at the sport attending Stanford and
playing on coach Pop Warner's last Stanford football team in 1932; and

WHEREAS, Bob O'Connor started at left guard on the 1933 Stanford
team that tied Oregon for the Pacific Coast Conference title and handed
University of Southern California its first loss in 27 games in front of
95,000 people at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; and

WHEREAS Bob O'Connor's Stanford team finished that season with an
8-2-1 record, outscoring opponents 131-43, and played in the prestigious
1934 Rose Bowl; and

WHEREAS, Bob O'Connor went on to play in the NFL for the Green Bay
Packers, where his coach was Curly Lambeau, and his 1935 team garnered
an 8-4 record finishing second in the Western Division; now, therefore,
be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Bob O'Connor posthumously upon the occasion of his induction into
the Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame on September
15, 2025; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Bob O'Connor.