TOWSON, Md. – Dan O'Connell, who developed a widespread reputation for his work and achievements during a career that spanned over three decades in athletic media relations at Towson University, passed away last Saturday at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie following a lengthy illness. The Tiger Hall of Famer was 72-years-old.

Throughout his career Dan kept himself busy in the college ranks and later, on a professional sports level as a statistician. Born in New Haven, Conn., Dan signed on as a sportswriter for The Fairfield Citizen while still attending Fairfield Prep. In 1971 he entered nearby Loyola College where he majored in English. It wasn't long before he joined the staff of The Greyhound, the school's student newspaper, rising quickly to the position of sports editor. After two years Dan was recruited by Loyola's Office of Public Relations, serving as an undergraduate assistant from 1974 to 1976, working primarily with the men's basketball program.

In 1977 he was appointed Sports Information Director at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a position he held for two years. In 1979 he joined the Tigers' SID office to begin his 35-year career at Towson.

"Dan was a good friend and that rare NY Met/NY Giants fan but more than that he was a top-notch SID," says Bill Stetka, a Towson alum and longtime friend who has served as the Director of Orioles Alumni since 2008. "He had an amazing recall of stats and past games that helped illuminate what was happening in a current game. Above all, though, he was a devoted father and grandfather. He'll be missed."

Dan excelled at promoting the Tigers' teams and student-athletes on local, regional and national stages. His commitment to the promotion of their academic success as well as their athletic accomplishments developed into a national position with the College Sports Information Directors of America when he served on CoSIDA's signature outreach program, the Academic All-America committee, for 27 years. He eventually rose to the position of vice-chairman. During his tenure six Towson student-athletes he promoted were honored as NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients; they remain the only Tigers to date to be so recognized.

"Dan O'Connell was a mentor and friend to me for over 40 years," says Eric McDowell, past national president of College Sports Communications (formerly CoSIDA). "He helped get me into the profession and helped me grow. His decades of dedicated and caring service weren't just limited to the student-athletes at Towson University but also to the student-athletes of CSC's Academic All-America program. He served as a Vice Chair for the AAA program, and also was a President of ECAC-SIDA. His induction into Towson's Athletic Hall of Fame meant so very much to him. And he meant so very much to me, as well as the countless past and current professionals in the athletics communications family who worked for him, learned from him, and were cared for by him."

In 2008 Dan was the recipient of CoSIDA's prestigious Lester Jordan Award for his longtime service to that national organization. In 2016 he received CoSIDA's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Regionally, the ECAC honored Dan with its Irving T. Marsh Service Award that recognizes excellence in the field of sports information. Dan also served as Public Relations Director for the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) from 2000-04.

Among his duties at Towson, he was responsible for the supervision of the student staff and the media relations intern program, mentoring numerous graduates who went on to careers in media relations and journalism.

"If it weren't for the opportunities Dan gave me at Towson as a student and later as his colleague, I would not be where I am today," says Eric Rhew, the Associate Director for Sports Statistics and Information at Athletes Unlimited. "He mentored me not just how to be an SID but a person as well. I will never be able to repay him for what he did for me."

For nearly 25 years Dan served on Towson's Hall of Fame selection committee, providing background information on all nominees. "I always admired his recall of athletes, coaches, games, titles and stats," says Janet Houck Kines, longtime chairperson of the Tigers' HOF's selection committee. "Amazing … he will be sorely missed." Dan was unanimously elected to the HOF in his first year of eligibility in 2021.

That penchant for detail led to the compilation of archival records and important historical references for Towson's 23 sports. The recipient of many publications awards, his 2009 Football Media Guide was rated second in the nation in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Over his career he developed a competency for statistics keeping. While guiding Towson's media relations office through the evolution of computerized stats, his reputation as a sports statistician grew, initially working television and radio broadcasts of NFL games. He served as the Assistant Director of Statistics for the Baltimore Ravens for over a decade. He was the team's radio statistician at Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Prior to his NFL position he was the official statistician for the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League.

"He became a close personal friend as did many of the athletes he would promote," said Towson alum and former Baltimore sportscaster, Keith Mills. "Dan later joined the stat crew with the Ravens and I would always look forward to seeing him and catching up before the games, going back in time and reliving some of the finest moments in local college sports history."

The son of deceased parents Daniel and Elizabeth O'Connell, Dan is survived by daughters Erin (Eric Bielitz) O'Connell of Baltimore and Maureen (Shaun) McCoy of Severn; sisters Mary (Bob) Grilley of Trumbull, Conn., Elizabeth O'Connell of Norwalk, Conn. and Katie (Steve) Wellington of New Milford, Conn., former wife Marybeth O'Connell of Severn, and granddaughters Sadie, Ruth, Maren and Siobhan.

Details of a visitation and ceremony will be forthcoming.