He played for club side Lismore and at inter-county level with the Waterford senior hurling team.
O'Connor had just progressed to adult level when he won a Waterford SHC medal in 1993 after Lismore's one-point defeat of Passage in the final.
O'Connor brought his 20-year club career to an end in 2013, having spent the last few years lining out at junior level.
[5] He later spent three seasons as manager of Dungarvan before returning to Cork to take charge of the Fr O'Neill's club.
[10] O'Connor accepted his first inter-county role in October 2022 when he was appointed manager of the Waterford minor hurling team.