University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Mike Sullivan
Sport: Football
Year Inducted: 2009

Biography

     Mike was one of the Canes toughest and most durable offensive lineman in its storied history !  The Chicago, Illinois native came to Miami out of St. Francis DeSales High School where he was named first team All-Area.  As a redshirt freshman in 1986 while working on the scout team, he honed his skills against possibly the best defensive line in college football history, with the likes of All-Americans Jerome Brown, Greg Mark, Dan Stubbs and Bill Hawkins.
     Beginning in 1987, Mike would start every game for four years, ending his
career by setting the school record for consecutive starts at 48 games !
Miami would go 44-4 during that span and win 2 National Championships (1987, 1989), and the first 36 games of the NCAA record 58-game home winning streak at the Orange Bowl !  The son of Irish Immigrants, Mike was certainly a good luck charm for the Canes, as they finished ranked no lower than #3  in the country !  Playing 2 years at offensive guard and 2 years at offensive
tackle in front of quarterbacks Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, and Gino
Torretta,  he and his linemates formed the protection to allow them to set
school records for Total First downs (35), Total Passing Touchdowns (6),
Most Points in a Quarter (35) and 2 of the top 3 record Passing Yardage
games in school history (Torretta 468, Erickson 467) !  He also cleared the
way for the career rushing touchdown leader, Stephen McGuire.  His Senior
season, the team set a record for most yards per game (482.9).  Mike was
twice named an Honorable Mention All-American and was named an AP All-South
Independent First Team selection.
     "Sully", as he is known to his teamates, received his B.A. in Business
Administration in 1989 and would come back for his Masters of Business
Administration in 1995.  He was selected as a member of Omicron Delta Kappa
National Leadership society and was tapped into the Iron Arrow Society for
his outstanding leadership, character, and service to the University !  He
is one of only 2 Canes to receive an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship.  He is
also the school's only two-time winner of the CBS/Toyota Leadership Award.
     Mike was drafted in the 6th round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Dallas
Cowboys and played one year for former coach Jimmy Johnson before going to
Tampa Bay and playing for the Buccaneers for 5 seasons.  After retiring from
the NFL, he got into coaching and spent four years in the European
Federation of American Football, before returning to Miami as a graduate
assistant in 2001. He also has coached at Western Michigan University and
for the Cleveland Browns. 
    Currently, he and his wife, Carole, reside in San Diego, with son Patrick
and daughter Teagan, where Mike is an offensive line coach for the Chargers.