Claxton J. O'Connor

Claxton "Okey" O'Connor was born in Baltimore in 1907 and attended Baltimore Poly from 1922-26 and spent one year at Loyola College, 1926-27. From there, he went to St. John's College in Annapolis from 1927-30, and graduated in 1930 from St. John's with a B.A. degree. At Baltimore Poly, he played on MSA lacrosse championship teams in 1925 and 1926. At St. John's, he won his varsity lacrosse letter in 1928 and 1930 when they won the national championship. He did not letter in 1929 due to a broken ankle. At Poly, he also ran varsity track and played varsity football and was captain of the 1925 team.

In college he played varsity football at Loyola and St. John's. He was a mathematics teacher, football, basketball and lacrosse coach and athletics director at Boys' Latin School in Baltimore from 1930 to 1960. From 1961 through 1976, he was a mathematics teacher and lacrosse coach at Glen Burnie High School in Maryland. After he retired, he continued coaching youth lacrosse in Glen Burnie through 1991.

Okey's activities in lacrosse did not stop at that level. He served on the following USILA committees: Chairman of USILA Committee Man of the Year Award, 1962; Lacrosse Guide Committee 4 years; member of the USILA Executive Board for two years; and USILA Development Committee member for two years. Also, he was USLCA vice president,1952-53; USLCA president, 1954-55 and chairman of USLCA Publicity Committee since 1955 and for several years had been a director of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame. For many years he wrote articles on the game of lacrosse. He was editor and publisher of the annual Six-Man Football Magazine from 1946-58. Also, he was part owner and corporation secretary for Boys' Latin School of Baltimore from 1935 until the corporation liquidated in 1960.

Okey was one of the truly dedicated leaders that the game has known, and also the developer of many outstanding lacrosse players.

Okey O'Connor passed away in 1991.