Dave O'Neill

Women's Head Coach

In now his eighth year at Cal head coach Dave O'Neill has established the women's crew as one of the premier programs in the country. In his nine years, O'Neill has led Cal to numerous invitations to the NCAA Championship Regatta, and his varsity eight has placed among the top four nationally three times. In 2002 the varsity took third and the team also placed third at the NCAA Regatta. In 2005, Cal won the NCAA Championship title and in 2006 won again — back to back national championships.

O'Neill has received numerous coach-of-the year awards for his work in 1999, 2002, and 2005 and is regarded as one of the finest young coaches in the country. He brings a refreshing perspective to a program with limitless potential as his philosophy, enthusiasm and competitiveness has the Cal women's program focused on winning its first NCAA title.

Before coming to Cal, O'Neill headed the women's program at Boston College for seven years. Under O'Neill, the BC women were the only club program in the country to compete against Division I varsity competition, and they did so with tremendous success. His crews won numerous championships at the Big East Regatta, New England Championships, Champion International Regatta, and the IRA. Last summer, O'Neill helped coach the U.S. Rowing pre-elite team and traveled with the U.S. team to the World Under 23 Regatta in Genoa, Italy where the U.S. squad had its best performance ever at the event.

O'Neill has been involved with a number of USRowing Development camps hosted at Cal and Riverside Boat Club in Cambridge, Mass. Both camps produced crews that won gold at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. O'Neill began his coaching career at Community Rowing Inc. in Boston where he helped start the junior program in 1989.

As an athlete, O'Neill became one of the country's top lightweight oarsmen. During his freshman year at Boston College, O'Neill helped found the rowing program, and soon after, was invited to pre-elite camps, as well as elite training programs at Riverside Boat Club and Boston Rowing Center. O'Neill medaled at the USRowing Nationals, U.S. Olympic Festival, CRASH-B Sprints, and the Canadian Henley. In 1993 O'Neill began a successful cycling career where he quickly rose to the elite level and competed in many of the country top professional events. A '91 graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in history, O'Neill is a firm believer that the best way to success is to provide the athletes with an environment conducive to learning and achievement. "If we make the everyday experience of Cal Crew a worthwhile and meaningful one, results will follow."