As Sullivan was sculpting the lives of his players through brute force and intimidation, in a seemingly parallel universe, he was playing the role of loving husband and father. In this world, Sultan engaged in picnics and piano recitals, and willingly played the role of both the clown and the romantic.
TL Cloar
I really saw Coach, what I thought was kind of the heart of the coach, when he was with his family. And when they were with him, when I saw those little faces light up, it was a different man.
I don’t know anyone that could love his children and his wife more than than coach did.
Bubba Davis
You know, to me, it looked like we know that’s the kind of family that that you’d want be a part of in Ohio. And then 10 minutes later, we were trembling, in fear, because, if not for his family, he’s have killed one us
Rick Farr
and I’ve often wondered, it’s hard to see what’s on us. I bet he was just a pussycat with his wife and his children.
Bobbie Sullivan
Everybody thought he was so tough, rough and tough. And he was on the football field. But at home, he was a big teddy bear. He was one of the most compassionate people that ever lived. People who knew him only on the field, did not know that. If I fail down in skin and hurt my knee, that he would be the one to help take care of.
Bubba Davis
I wouldn’t have a problem if I don’t play, being his son. The problem was being one of the football players.
Royce Sullivan
Loving rockets, ribald, tender, disciplines, all these words just popped into my mind, kind of way to grow up. My dad, will get up on Saturday morning or Sunday morning and just say fall in! come on, I would say one Royce to Girl three big four, (1:58) that way he knew we were all there. We’d all get in the car and he would just take out we’d have no idea where we were going and go to a gravel pit in Alabama. We’d spend the whole day swimming, picnicking, having fun, he might take us to a war memorial, something like that.
Bobbie Sullivan
You never knew where you were going. And sometimes he would just go round and round and round the driveway, the circular driveway and we would be screaming, laughing so hard. We would cry as we’d go around and around and around that driveway. He just made life fun. It was all fun.
“Little” Vic Sullivan
That was the good old days. I really enjoyed it.
Bobbie Sullivan
The car would leave the ground, and bounce down hard. And then we go around the stadium, get to our driveway. And he makes several spinning rounds and we all be screaming and then you want time he had us throw out cans, pop cans, you know.
Royce Sullivan
And the old lady that lived next door, she thought Coach Sullivan was probably drinking and he wasn’t but he probably thought he was and then word would be out. Coach Sullivan came home drunk again. Those kids were screaming for their lives. It was just hysterical.
“Little” Vic Sullivan
It was so funny. And you used to have seme particular people there that they thought they were a little better than everybody else. You know in this one woman was sitting next to us at the table in the restaurant.
Royce Sullivan
It was in the summertime and they were in their finest mix dolls and what have you been here we little street urchins, barefoot. We can sit down and the only booth that held all of us was a circle booth. Big bouquet of daffodils on the table. And we were getting these stairs. He just he leaned over to us and he said, Don’t anybody’s crack a smile. Don’t anybody even laugh like that in his gruff voice and we feel Yes, sir. And then he reached over and ate about three of those daffodils, just spit them off at the staff.
“Big” Vic Sullivan
And Coach, had that busybody woman over there See, she probably called everybody in town until Coach Sullivan went crazy. Leaving flowers off is (4:02)
Gael Sullivan
Probably one of the best memories I have of daddy. Bobby would play the piano. And daddy would go to meridian and get her sheet music.
Royce Sullivan
Friday after football practice before supper. He’d come in stretch out on the couch. And I would play for him for about 30 minutes.
Gael Sullivan
And after she thought she was okay playing it. I’d come in and sing. Stardusts always had to be the first and the last song. He had heard it on a jukebox before the war and Hoagy Carmichael was playing and he just fell in love with it. And he said we’re gonna be rich one day when you all become the Sullivan Sisters. And it was just great. I always I took voice lessons and I’d be in the recitals, Bobby would be put playing the piano. He never missed a recital. I know he’s bored to tears. There was no greater feeling in the world than daddy to say, Good job, or I’m proud of you. You know, we didn’t want to disappoint him. We didn’t want to disappoint our mom or him, but we didn’t want to disappoint him.
Charlie Studdard
Coach Sullivan’s two two daughters, Royce and Bobby, were cheerleaders. But nobody in their right mind, especially the football players dared to ask them out on a date.
Royce Sullivan
I have had people say, Man I really wished I had asked you out for a date, I’m really wanting to date you, but I could just see me getting you home late and being dead.
Randall Bradberry
I remember Ross is one and when she was a cheerleader when I was there, and she hung out with us a lot. And I remember her telling me one time she’s around, dad really likes you. I didn’t believe that? She said, if you’ll just look him in the eye, just look him right in the eye. So the next time he grabbed me, a look right in his eye. He started bat nose, eyes and gritting his teeth. And I just couldn’t do it. I have a turned my hand. And as I tried, I tried, I just couldn’t do it, you know,
Gael Sullivan
as strict as he was. My mother was a counterbalance. You know, she was a little soft Christian person on this side. And he was the loud Marine Corps drill instructor.
Royce Sullivan
My mom, Virginia was the glue that held the family together,
Louie Spinks
because she was in contact with everybody on that team. She knew everybody by first name. She invited her by to her to her house. And she was just like, you know, a mother, if you had a problem or something.
Rick Farr
You know, you were always welcome to go talk to her. She was she cared about us as, as students and humans first and then whatever happened with football would take care of itself.
Louie Spinks
vacations or holidays when people had to stay there, players had stay there couldn’t go home. She fed ’em. And yeah, she was she was great.
Rick Farr
But I know she was just special to him. And you could see that and their interaction and how they just, I mean, you just knew that it was they were, you know, in love steel act all those years today, he was taking her on special anniversary, had her dress up very nicely.
Royce Sullivan
They got in the car. He took her to a roadside park where he had previously taken the grill and had cooked the steaks and did all of that. And then for the highlight of the evening, he took her over to a field that was full of wild violets, and lilacs and things. And that’s where they had their their anniversary.
Gael Sullivan
Managers came to our house all the time. I mean, it was all the time we had managers knocking on our door, he would run up the steps and bang on the door and whoever would open it, he’s like, you know, you’ve been running
Royce Sullivan
I need to see Mrs Sullivan, She’ld come to the door, and he’d pull up this handful stalk of black eyed Susan, sometimes with the dirt still on the stems. Coach said bring these to you. And he’lld turn around, go back to practice
Narrator
Of the many stories and events that have become synonymous with Sullivan’s teams at scuba. There is one artifact in particular that has risen to mythical status. This item is the perfect embodiment of Sullivan’s ferocity, and psychological intimidation. And it was created not in the fires of hell. But at his kitchen table by the loving hands of his wife and children.
Jimmy Kibe
Coach Sullivan came around one day and he took up all hymns. And I said, Man, are we gonna play without him much now? He didn’t tell him why he said turn to him. And I went to drop them off?
Bobbie Sullivan
This young manager? I don’t remember which one showed up at the at the house. He showed up with a double bag of these helmets and said “Mrs Sullivan, Coach said to give these to you and he wants a skull and crossbones right here on them”.
Gael Sullivan
And instead of saying what! She said, Okay, that’s just the way mother was.
Bobbie Sullivan
So then after we unloaded all the helmets and the manager left, she said, Where am I gonna get her skull and crossbones, and we got to thinking and trying to find an example. Finally, I will admit With pleasure. I said, Mother, the Red Devils lie because we had had plumbing problems and we had some red Devils last. I think there’s a skull and crossbones on it. And sure enough, there it was.
Gael Sullivan
She enlarged it. And she started sketching on there and we helped to paint I don’t know how many helmets there were, but she did it very quickly. They had to have about that Saturday, and she did the skull and crossbones herself, helmet on helmet.
Bobbie Sullivan
We had them all lined up, drying. When daddy came back, you never asked why, it was just “daddy said Do it”. Do it.
“Big” Vic Sullivan
I couldn’t believe that was on a helmet. I saw that. I’m thinking this is not just a play-around thing. You know, we got to take this serious
Bobby Mitchner
Skull and Crossbones meant nothing but intimidation
Doug Sprout
Coach Sullivan put a distinctive stamp on us. That stamp was – you’re different your special.
Doug Sprout
Before you put it on you were a young man. But once you put it on, you became a man.
Johnny Baker
You put that helmet on and you felt like to be frank, like Billy Joe baddass in a way because you just felt like “I’m the man”
“Little” Vic Sullivan
to wear that When I came up with a skull and crossbones on it. You did have to be one main son of a bitch
Gael Sullivan
you had to be one main son of a gun to play for daddy. He expected toughness. He demanded it and they were tough. You did not stay on the team if you weren’t tough.