Providence College Coach John O’Neill Announces Retirement
Providence College coach John O’Neill announced his retirement on Tuesday after 36 seasons with the Friars.
O’Neill’s time came over two stints around a five-year term in charge of the United States Military Academy at West Point from 2001-06. O’Neill spent 17 seasons in Providence starting in 1984. He returned as Providence head coach in 2007 and spent 19 seconds there in his second tenure.
“It’s been a privilege to work with the many outstanding student-athletes who have represented our programs,” O’Neill said in a press release. “I can’t thank Athletic Director Steve Napolillo, our entire athletic department staff and our hard-working swimming and diving coaches enough for all their help. My family and I are grateful to have served the college community and called this home for so many years. We now look forward to supporting the programs in every way possible moving forward.”
As part of his departure, a group of alumni has endowed the Cindy and John O’Neill Swimming and Diving Fund to support the needs of the Friars’ men’s and women’s teams.
O’Neill guided nine swimmers to 20 individual Big East Championships. He was named New England Coach of the Year for men’s swimming once (1999) and women’s on three occasions, as well as the Big East Women’s Coach of the Year in 1988 and the Big East Men’s Coach of the Year in 2021.
“For more than three decades, Coach O’Neill has dedicated himself to the Friar swimming & diving programs, his student-athletes and the Providence College community,” Athletic Director Steve Napolillo said. “Having built the program from the ground up in 1984, we are grateful for his tireless leadership and his unwavering commitment to his student-athletes. We wish John, his wife, Cindy, and his entire family all the best in retirement. He will always be a part of the Friar family.”
At Army, O’Neill was the Patriot League Co-Coach of the Year for the men in 2004. O’Neill swam at Springfield college, graduating in 1981. He’s a member of the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame. He’s served as a president of the Big East and New England Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Associations. He’s also been involved in Rhode Island’s Swim Across America program for 16 years. His retirement ceremony on Sept. 12 will coincide with the state’s annual Swim Across America event.
