Career
He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, most notably with the Cleveland Indians. Born to Irish immigrants in Minooka, Pennsylvania (now a part of Scranton), O'Neill was one of four brothers who escaped a life in the coal mines by playing in the major leagues. Baseball historian William C. Kashatus noted that Michael and Jack "would become the first brother battery in major league history".
The O'Neill brothers "were known to exchange their signals in Gaelic in order to fool the opposing coaches". Later, two of Steve O'Neill's daughters married professional baseball players, one of whom was Skeeter Webb, who worked for O'Neill when he managed the Detroit Tigers during the 1940s. Steve had by far the most successful playing career of the O'Neill brothers, serving as a catcher for 17 years in the American League.
He played with the Cleveland Indians (1911–23), Boston Red Sox (1924), New York Yankees (1925), and St. Louis Browns (1927–28). When his playing career ended, O'Neill turned to managing and gained a reputation for cultivating talented young players, some of whom went on to become Hall of Famers. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1929 to 1931.
As a major league manager with four teams—the Indians (1935–37), Detroit Tigers (1943–48), Red Sox (1950–51) and Philadelphia Phillies (1952–54)—O'Neill never had a losing record. His career winning percentage over 14 seasons was a stalwart .559 (1,040 victories against 821 lost). He also served as a coach for Cleveland, Detroit and Boston.
Legendary players who benefited from O'Neill's guidance included Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Hal Newhouser, and Robin Roberts. O'Neill was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame. O'Neill died at age 70 in Cleveland, Ohio, after suffering a heart attack and is interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Minooka.