Pat Sullivan (American football) facts for kids

Pat Sullivan (born January 18, 1950 – died December 1, 2019) was a famous American football player and college coach. He was an amazing quarterback for the Auburn Tigers college team. In 1971, he won the Heisman Trophy, which is a huge award for college football players. After college, he played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Later, Pat became a head football coach at Samford University from 2007 to 2014. He also coached at Texas Christian University (TCU) and was an offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In 1991, he was honored by being added to the College Football Hall of Fame because of his great playing career.

College Football Career

Pat Sullivan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. When he was in high school at John Carroll, he was a star in three different sports! Even though he was good at baseball and basketball, he chose to play football for Auburn University.

In 1969, he became the starting quarterback for Auburn under coach Ralph Jordan. A quarterback is the player who leads the team's offense and throws the ball. Over the next three seasons, Pat, who was 6 feet tall and weighed about 190 pounds, broke many school and NCAA records for passing. He helped his team win 26 games and lose only 7.

In 1970, he led the entire NCAA in total offense with 2,856 yards. He also set an NCAA record for gaining the most yards per play. During his college career, he was responsible for 72 touchdowns. This means he either threw for 54 touchdowns or ran for 18 touchdowns himself, which tied an NCAA record.

In his final year, Pat completed 162 passes out of 281 attempts. He threw for 2,012 yards and 20 touchdowns. This amazing performance helped him win the 1971 Heisman Trophy, beating out another great player named Ed Marinaro. Pat was also a very good student. He was named an Academic All-American and earned a degree in business in 1972. He finished his college career with 6,284 passing yards and 54 passing touchdowns. He also scored 18 touchdowns by running the ball. After college, he played in the Senior Bowl game and was named the Most Valuable Player.

Professional NFL Career

After his successful college career, Pat Sullivan played professional football in the NFL for six seasons. He was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He was the 40th player picked overall.

Pat played for the Falcons from 1972 to 1975, appearing in 30 games. In 1974, he started three games for the Falcons. In 1975, he threw for 3 touchdowns. After his time with the Falcons, he signed with the Washington Redskins in 1976. However, he was released before the season began.

In 1977, he signed with the Chicago Bears but was later traded to the San Francisco 49ers. He was then released by the 49ers before the 1977 season started. After leaving football, Pat went into business in Birmingham, working in insurance and for a tire company.

Coaching Career Highlights

Before becoming a coach, Pat Sullivan spent five seasons as a radio commentator for Auburn football games. In 1986, he joined the coaching staff at Auburn as the quarterbacks coach under head coach Pat Dye. He helped train several Auburn quarterbacks during his six years there. While he was an assistant coach, Auburn won or shared three Southeastern Conference championships. They also had a four-game winning streak against their big rival, Alabama.

Leading the TCU Horned Frogs

On January 2, 1992, Pat Sullivan became the head football coach for Texas Christian University (TCU). The team had been facing some challenges due to NCAA rules. After two difficult seasons, he led TCU to a 7-5 record in 1994. This helped them win a share of the Southwest Conference championship, which was TCU's first conference title since 1959.

After the 1994 season, Pat considered becoming the head coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). However, LSU did not want to pay the fee to release him from his TCU contract. So, he stayed at TCU. The next season, TCU had another winning record of 6-5. In 1996, TCU joined a new conference, the Western Athletic Conference, and faced more tough times. Pat resigned in October 1997 with an overall record of 24 wins, 42 losses, and 1 tie. He is well-known for recruiting LaDainian Tomlinson, who became a famous NFL player, to play at TCU.

Coaching at UAB and Samford

In January 1999, Pat Sullivan became the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). An offensive coordinator is a coach who plans the team's offensive plays. He helped develop Darrell Hackney into a top quarterback for UAB. He also coached Roddy White, who later became a star wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2003, Pat was diagnosed with throat cancer. He had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. He missed only one game during his treatment and was declared cancer-free in April 2004.

On December 1, 2006, Pat was named the head coach at Samford University. In 2008, Samford joined the Southern Conference. In 2013, his team won the conference championship. He retired after the 2014 season, completing eight seasons as Samford's coach.

Personal Life and Legacy

Pat Sullivan was married to Jean Hicks, and they had three children: Kim, and twins Kelly and Patrick Jr.

Death and Tributes

Pat Sullivan passed away on December 1, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. To honor him, Auburn players wore "7" decals on their helmets during the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2020. This was a tribute to his retired number 7 jersey at Auburn.

Honors and Awards

Pat Sullivan received many honors throughout his life. He was selected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1988, he was one of the first members inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. The football field house at Samford University was renamed in his honor. In 2016, his high school, John Carroll High School, also renamed its football field after him.

Some of his other awards include:

• Heisman Trophy, 1971
• Sammy Baugh Trophy, 1970
• Walter Camp Award, 1971
• All-American, 1970, 1971
• SEC Player of the Year, 1970
• Gator Bowl Most Valuable Player, 1970
• Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player, 1971
• Senior Bowl Most Valuable Player, 1972
• College Football Hall of Fame, 1991
• Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, 1994
• Southern Conference Co-Coach of the Year, 2012