Adelphi University Athletics

Charlie O’Donnell crossed an ocean, traveling from Derby, Ireland, to step onto the pitch at Adelphi during one of the most dominating stretches of soccer the Panthers have ever produced. During his tenure, the Brown and Gold placed third in Division II twice and captured the 1974 NCAA Championship, the first national title in school history. He was also a part of the team’s transition to Division I competition.

An offensive juggernaut, O’Donnell helped spark the Panther attack and was a large part of the 1973 team that finished 16-2-1 overall and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship field. Adelphi would outscore its first three opponents 8-0 on the way to a national semifinal meeting with UM-St. Louis; they fell 1-0 before flipping the score against UMBC in the consolation game to finish third overall.

The following season, O’Donnell began to take over more of the offensive load, as he scored 12 goals and handed out six assists in his sophomore campaign. Adelphi returned to the NCAA field, and against outscored their opponents in their first three games by a 7-0 total; they earned a matchup with Seattle Pacific in the National Championship game and a 3-2 triumph gave the Brown and Gold the school’s first National Championship.

In 1975, O’Donnell proved to be too much for opposing players to handle and was truly a man among boys. He posted a team-high 61 points on 24 goals and 13 assists and set the program record for goals in a game with nine versus Queens. O’Donnell helped carry the Panthers to a record of 16-2-2 and another spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Seattle Pacific turned the tables on the Panthers and stole a 3-2 win, which forced the Panthers into the consolation game. They saddled Wisconsin Green Bay with a 9-1 loss to finish third in the nation yet again. For his play, O’Donnell was honored as the program’s third National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American, and joined teammates Nimrod Dreyfuss (1974 and 1975) and Eugene Du Chateau (1974).

After its three year reign of dominance in Division II, the men’s soccer program was raised to the Division I level for O’Donnell’s senior season in 1976. The change in division did not slow O’Donnell or the Panthers down as the program went 11-3-2 that season and posted a national ranking of 10. O’Donnell scored seven goals and charted four assists to help Adelphi to wins over Howard, Virginia and NYU among others. The Brown and Gold were awarded a spot in the Division I tournament but fell in the first round to St. Francis, 2-1.

An All-Region honoree in 1975, O’Donnell’s name is etched in the Adelphi record books. At the time of his induction, he was third all-time in points (124), career goals (49) and career assists (26). In addition, O’Donnell ranked second on the single-season points list (61) and fourth in goals and assists for his 24-13 performance in 1975.

O’Donnell earned his degree in business management from Adelphi and is now an Operating Engineer in nearby Leonia, New Jersey. He resides there with his wife Annie and his children Daniel, Trish and Declian.