O\'Neill was born in Minooka, Pennsylvania (now a part of Scranton), to Irish immigrants from Maum, County Galway, Michael "Squire" O\'Neill and the former Mary Joyce. He was one of four brothers who escaped a life in the coal mines by playing in the major leagues. Other notable members of the O\'Neill family were Jack, a catcher in the National League (1902–06); Mike, a right-handed pitcher in the NL (1901–04, 1907); and Jim, an infielder with the American League Washington Senators (1920, 1923). 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".\n', '

Later, two of Steve O\'Neill\'s daughters married professional baseball players, one of whom was Skeeter Webb, who played under O\'Neill in the minor leagues in 1939 and again from 1945–47, when O\'Neill piloted the Tigers.\n', '

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). His playing career curtailed by an injury sustained in a car accident, O\'Neill compiled a batting average of .263 in 1,586 games, and, in his only World Series appearance in 1920, hit .333 in seven games as the backstop for the world champion Indians.\n', '

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