In football and in life, Zeke O'Connor reached the pinnacle of success.
On the gridiron, getting to the peak meant playing for U.S. college football's most storied program, Notre Dame, and winning a Grey Cup with the Argos in 1952. In life, getting to the peak meant literally just that, as O'Connor established the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation in 1974, which does vitally important work in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal.
"I've gone over there every year since 1973," said O'Connor, whose organization has built schools, hospitals, water pipelines and other necessities of modern living in this beautiful yet very poor region of the world, much of it at altitudes of between 10-15,000 feet.
While O'Connor lives in Etobicoke, he spends a lot of time on the road. When he's not visiting Nepal, he's likely to be found in South Bend, Indiana, home of the famed Fighting Irish.
"That may have been the biggest thrill I ever had, starting my first game at Notre Dame," said O'Connor, a native Irish New Yorker who returns to his old alma mater atleast twice a year. In fact, he may be there right now as you read this profile for the first time, since the annual "Notre Dame Monogram Club" golf tournament and dinner takes place on June 6th. "There's a tremendous amount of tradition there. It's like a magnet, it pulls you back."
After graduating from Notre Dame in the late 1940's, O'Connor played in the old All-America Football Conference with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. He came to another great tradition, the Toronto Argonaut Football Club, just in time to win their 1952 championship, the last of a string of five titles in eight years, and subsequently the catalyst for a 31-year drought.
"In the pros, the Grey Cup was the highlight," said O'Connor, a receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Nobby Wirkowski. After playing with the Argos for one more year, O'Connor went on to coach Balmy Beach of the old Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) from 1954-56, and was a radio colour commentator on Grey Cup broadcasts from 1956-1981.
Away from football, O'Connor worked for Sears Canada for 31 years, working his way up to become assistant vice-president of public relations, a post from which he retired in 1983. Today, he is busy looking after the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation, as well as keeping up with this three children (Catherine, Christopher and Karen) and seven grandchildren.
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