On March 8, 2002, Stevens Institute of Technology athletic director Russell Rogers named Jefferson (J.J.) O’Connell as the school’s new head women’s volleyball coach. With his appointment, O’Connell became only the third women’s volleyball coach in the 17-year history of the program. In addition, O’Connell is the first coach to hold the position in a full-time capacity.
"I am confident that J.J. is the right person to lead our program to new heights," Rogers announced. "He has a tremendous background in the sport of volleyball and every program that he’s ever been associated with has improved and won on a consistent basis. I’m certain that J.J. will recruit outstanding student-athletes at Stevens who will continue to achieve success both in the classroom and on the volleyball court."
O’Connell’s first head coaching campaign at Stevens saw the Ducks’ volleyball team break 18 school records on its way to a 14-12 record. He guided the team to an improvement of 11 wins over the previous season. In addition, three players earned all-conference honors while O’Connell was recognized for his efforts by being selected Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Coach of the Year by his peers.
Born and raised in the Ithaca, N.Y. area, O’Connell developed into an outstanding middle hitter at Ithaca High School. A two-year captain for the Little Red program, his senior squad earned a New York sectional championship.
O’Connell attended the State University of New York at Cortland where he played outside hitter on the Red Dragon club men’s volleyball team while earning a B.S. in Economics and Management Science in 1994. O’Connell led the men’s volleyball team to fifth and ninth place finishes in 1996 and 1997 in the NIRSA Division II Volleyball Club Championships, earning all-tournament honors in both years. During his undergraduate years, O’Connell also broke into the coaching ranks by serving as an assistant coach to Cortland head women’s volleyball coach Joan Sitterly. His tenure on the Cortland staff saw the Red Dragons earn fifth-place national finishes in the NCAA Division III National Championship in both 1996 and 1997. Bitten by the coaching bug, O’Connell returned to the classroom at Cortland and earned a second bachelor’s degree in 1997 in physical education with a concentration in coaching.
Following four years as an assistant at Cortland, O’Connell accepted the position of assistant women’s coach at NCAA Division II Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. During a two-year stint on head coach Tia Brandel’s staff, the Bulldogs were twice runners-up for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1999 with a 26-8 overall record.
In 2000, O'Connell accepted the position of graduate assistant coach at the State University of New York at Brockport, where he nears completion on an M.S. in physical education. The Golden Eagle program captured the SUNYAC West Division regular-season championship each year and finished as the runner-up in the 2000 and 2001 SUNYAC Tournaments. Overall, O’Connell compiled a record of 255-76 as an assistant coach.
In addition to his duties as head women’s volleyball coach at Stevens, O’Connell also serves as the equipment supervisor for the athletic department. O'Connell serves on the NCAA women's volleyball regional selection committee for the New York region and is also the volleyball chairperson for the Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). He remains an active official for USA Volleyball.
