St. John’s Prep football coach O’Leary stepping down

DANVERS – Jim O’Leary, the longest-serving football coach on the North Shore, is stepping down, the school announced today.O’Leary has been the coach at St. John’s Prep since 1984, having taken over for Fred Glatz.The school will hold a news conference Friday (9:30 a.m.) to announce his successor.O’Leary, who is also the school’s athletic director, is expected to retain that position. He has coached the Eagles to two Super Bowl victories — one in 1997 and the other in 2012, when The Prep defeated Brockton.Several of his players, including Rod Konrad, Wayne Lucier, Jon McCarthy, Jeff Mackor, Ryan Leahy and Brian St. Pierre, have gone on to play professionally (McCarthy in hockey; Mackor and Leahy in baseball; the other three in football). Also, Bill O’Brien, a former offensive coordinator for the Patriots and Penn State coach, who has just been hired as head coach by the Houston Texans, played for O’Leary while at St. John’s.St. Pierre, who starred at quarterback for Boston College before playing professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers, was recently hired by the school’s development office. He was an assistant for O’Leary this season.See itemlive.com and the Daily Item for more information.