He also played Gaelic football at juvenile level at the time, before later winning league and championship medals in that code with Rockchapel and Knockskevane.
In 1963, O'Connor was drafted onto the Duhallow divisional senior team and made his debut in the Cork SHC as a 14-year-old a year later.
[1] After several years of near misses for Meelin, O'Connor won the first of a record-equalling four successive Duhallow JHC titles with his club in 1970.
He was the first player from Duhallow to be called up to the minor team and was at full-forward for their defeat of Wexford in the 1967 All-Ireland final.
O'Connor continued to line out with Duhallow until 1984 and won an eighth and final divisional hurling title in 1986.