Sprinkled among the 5,000 fans that crammed into Exeter High on the final weekend of the fall season were a heaping helping of former players, students and friends of Brian O’Reilly.
To have O’Reilly’s Pinkerton Academy footballers roll to a state championship on that stage against their most heated rival, Londonderry High School, it just could not have been more perfect.
Go out on top, at 71 years old, with your 12th Division I state football title to become the all-time winningest coach in state history with the entire state of New Hampshire watching.
“Mic drop!”
Not so fast, Granite Staters. After 47 years as the head coach of the program, O’Reilly still has yet to decide whether or not he’ll remain on the sidelines at Pinkerton.
Still, in his 50th year on the Pinkerton faculty, it is with the utmost respect that we honor O’Reilly as our 2024 Eagle-Tribune Sportsman of the Year.
In typical O’Reilly fashion, just moments after his team knocked off the hated-but-much respected Lancers, 42-7, in the title game, O’Reilly first deflected any plaudits, instead heaping praise on his players.
“What this team has done since August is amazing. We did not play well in the scrimmages, and then all of a sudden, it happened the night in Andover,” he said. “That really just jump-started us. And I was standing on the sidelines in Andover like ‘what do I have here?’ and it hasn’t stopped since.”
Dr. Timothy Powers hasn’t been at Pinkerton for all of O’Reilly’s 50 years, but the school’s current headmaster has been there long enough, originally coaching with him, to know what the school community has had in the longtime teacher, coach and administrator.
“Brian is the type of person that every school wants. He is a teacher who coaches. We can all read about the wins, most for a high school coach in boys lacrosse and football in New Hampshire,” said Dr. Powers. “He has impacted so many young men in the sports he has coached, thousands, who have gone on to lead very successful lives. Brian is more than the winningest coach, he has positively impacted so many in the interactions he has had throughout the years, both in the classroom and on the athletic fields.
“When I catch up with alums and they talk about their time as a student, many bring up Mr. O’Reilly as one of the best teachers they had. The players that play(ed) for him, love him as a coach and what he demands and expects out of them. The students who had him in class loved him for what he expected out of them and the way he was in the classroom. Brian can have a conversation with the most academic person and then in the next breath be talking about sports with a fellow coach. Brian is dedicated, humble, hardworking, high expectations, and caring, he is the type of individual that you want teaching/coaching your child.”
O’Reilly’s impact at the school has passed through generations.
Two of his biggest stars this year, quarterback Aiden McDonald and halfback Matt Morrison, are second generation Astros.
The respect the coach has garnered over the five decades may never be matched.
“His career is hard to put into words. He is a family man who has passion and love for teaching and coaching,” said Dr. Powers.
“Will we ever see anyone amass the wins, and have the career like Brian has had? Maybe not, but the wins do not define his career. Before the state championship game, I was walking over to see Brian and he was talking with a former player from the 90s. As we walked away, Brian remarked that he had not seen him in a long time but he shared about the success of his former player.
“He knew him, not just his name. Brian has impacted so many young men during their high school years and has helped them to grow into adults who are making our communities better. Winning and state titles are great but the connections and lasting impact that he has had on those he has coached, taught, and worked with, is the most impressive part of his career.”