Michael Gerard Sullivan (born December 22, 1967) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

and current assistant

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

coach for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played in the NFL for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

Early life

Sullivan attended St. Francis DeSales High School, where he was a three-year starter and was named All-Midwest as a senior. He accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

where he was redshirted as a freshman. He played his first two years at left offensive guard, before being switched to

left tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

as a junior. He started a school record 48 consecutive games (all of the games in his college career), despite dealing with different injuries, including the removal of a benign tumor near his left ear in 1989. Sullivan contributed to a 44-4 record, two national championships (1987, 1989), and the first 36 contests of the 58-game NCAA record home winning streak. One of two players in school history to earn an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship (only 15 are awarded per year) and the only two-time winner of the CBS/Toyota Leadership Award. In 2009, he was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Sullivan was selected in the sixth round (153rd overall) by the

in the

1991 NFL draft The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Ma ...

, with the intention of playing him at

. He originally failed his physical but was later approved to participate in training camp. He was waived on August 26 and later re-signed to the practice squad. After being signed to the active roster, he was released on November 22 and re-signed to the practice squad.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

. He played four years mainly as a back-up

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

and on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He became a free agent on February 16, 1996.

Chicago Bears

On March 26,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, he was signed as a

by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. He was released before the season started on August 28.

Coaching career

Sullivan helped four teams to championships over the span of his coaching career in the

European Federation of American Football IFAF Europe was the governing body of American football in Europe. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Europe replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) which had begun in 1976 as the America ...

. After spending the 2000 season as a graduate assistant for the

, he joined former Hurricane coach

Butch Davis Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Florida International University. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he became an assistant coll ...

's coaching staff with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He was an offensive assistant for three-and-a-half seasons and coached tight ends for half a season in 2004. On January 21, 2005, he was named offensive line coach at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

. In 2007, he was named the offensive line coach for the Browns. In 2009, he was hired as the offensive line coach of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. In 2013, he returned to the Browns as their offensive line coach. In 2014, he was hired as an assistant offensive line coach for the

References

External links

Miami Hurricanes Hall of Fame bioWestern Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Mike 1967 births Living people Players of American football from Chicago American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards American football centers Miami Hurricanes football players Dallas Cowboys players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Miami Hurricanes football coaches Cleveland Browns coaches Western Michigan Broncos football coaches San Diego Chargers coaches Tennessee Titans coaches American people of Irish descent