Bill attended Rockhurst High School where he played varsity basketball.
O'Connor started his career at Colby Community College as an assistant coach.
He later was hired as an assistant coach at University of Texas-Pan American where he stayed for a short time before finding Rockhurst.
He was named coach of the year multiple times in both the GLVC and the Heartland conference.
He was inducted into the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 11, 2019.