Local Man Inducted into West Orange Police Athletic League Hall of Fame

A West Orange man was inducted into the West Orange Police Athletic Leauge (P.A.L.) Hall of Fame earlier this week.

John “Beaver” O’Connor was inducted into the P.A.L. Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 19, after having a long history of supporting West Orange youth, dating back to the 1960s. During the ‘60s, O’Connor was the recreation director ahd developed a daytime baseball program for local youth, according to a release from West Orange Township.

“Over the past decade I was privileged to work with Mr. O’Connor in the P.A.L.,” Otto Torrisi Jr. of the West Orange Police Athletic League said. “I can’t tell you the number of kids who came in to sign up for baseball and would ask to be on his team because their older brothers played for him. Over the past 6 years Johnny’s Pizzeria (O’Connor’s team) won five championships.”

According to the release from the West Orange P.A.L., O’Connor was also a basketball standout earlier in his life. He then took his skills on the hardwood and, in addition to baseball, also developed basketball programs for youth around West Orange.

“Mr. O’Connor’s life is spent on giving back the community that he loves and passing on knowledge to those of us who hope to provide for the youth of today and tomorrow,” Torrisi Jr. said. “In addition to coaching kids, umpiring/refereeing baseball and basketball games his help reached even beyond West Orange’s youth by coaching many politicians over the years to a successful outcome.”