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Legendary New York high school football coach retires after 45-year career

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•about 20 hours•

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Syndication: Westchester County Journal News
Coach Mike O'Donnell addresses his Stepinac football team on Sept. 21, 2024. Iona defeated Stepinac 42-13 in football action at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains. © Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the deans of high school football in New York is calling it a career after more than 40 years in coaching.

On Wednesday, Kevin Devaney of GameDayOne.com reported that Archbishop Stepinac‘s Kevin O’Donnell was set to retire from his head coaching job with the school — nearly four decades after he started.

He will remain as Stepinac’s athletic director, a role he has held concurrently during his coaching tenure. On the field, he led the program to 238 victories and four New York Catholic High School Football League AAA state titles. He served as the programs head coach for 37 years, and eight years as an assistant before that.

The school, which has been around more than 70 years, has only had six football coaches with O’Donnell by far the longest tenured. The 65-year-old O’Donnell informed his players on Wednesday morning.

“I think it’s a job for somebody with more energy,” he told the Rockland/Westchester Journal News. “We found a very good young coach. I’ve been looking for a while to find the right person to take over the football program. I’ve never worried about the wins or the championships. It’s more about the kids and getting them into college and helping them become good people, and I’m going to continue doing that. I may not be the head coach, but I’m going to be around.”

He will be replaced by former assistant A.J. Magee, who comes from Wagner College, where he served as a graduate assistant on the Seahawks coaching staff on both sides of the ball.

The Crusaders are coming off 1-10 campaign in 2024, which included games against out-of-state powerhouses McDonogh School (Md.), Archbishop Spalding (Md.), St. Joseph Regional (N.J.), as well as New York private schools Iona Prep, Cardinal Hayes and St. Anthony’s.