1971 Heisman Trophy Winner Quarterback Pat Sullivan

By Author: Kellen Sears
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The winner of the 1971 Heisman Trophy was Pat Sullivan. Sullivan was a senior who played quarterback for Auburn. He was the first Auburn player to ever win the award. It was the second straight year that the award went to a quarterback. He would be the last quarterback to win the award until 1984 when Doug Flutie won the Heisman after 12 straight years of running backs winning it.

Sullivan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was an accomplished athlete early on and excelled in baseball, basketball and football at Birmingham's John Carroll Catholic High School. He chose to play football for Auburn University under coach Ralph Shug Jordan after his high school career ended.

Coach Jordan handed Sullivan the starting quarterback job in 1969. It turned out to be a good decision by Jordan as the 6'0, 190 lb player would go on to break school and NCAA passing records while winning 25 out of 30 games.

Things really heated up for Sullivan in 1970 when he led the NCAA in total offense with 2,856 yards and earned All-America honors. He and wide receiver Terry Beasley hooked up often to form a formidable tandem. Sullivan ...
... helped Beasley lead the SEC in receptions, receiving yards, and scoring in 1970. Beasley joined Sullivan as an All-American.

Sullivan had plenty left in the tank for his senior season in 1971. He set an NCAA record for most yards per play with 8.57 and threw for 20 touchdowns and 2,012 yards while leading the Tigers to a 9-2, Sugar Bowl season. By the end of the season, he had tied the record for most career touchdowns responsible for with 73 (18 running and 55 passing).

On November 24, 1971, it was announced that Sullivan would win the 1971 Heisman Trophy. It was a two-man race with Cornell running back Ed Marinaro. Sullivan ultimately won the voting with a 152-point margin. Sullivan won the South, the southwest and the Far West.

Although Sullivan was the first Auburn player to win college football's highest individual award, Heisman wasn't an unfamiliar name in the Tigers' history. John Heisman, the namesake of the award, served as Auburn's first official head coach. He led them to a 12-4-2 record in five years. Sullivan was the first Heisman winner from one of John Heisman's old schools.

Off of the field, Sullivan was an excellent student at Auburn. He was an Academic All-American and graduated with a bachelor's of science in business administration in 1972.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Sullivan in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft as the 40th overall pick. He lasted six seasons in the NFL as a quarterback for the Falcons for four years and the Washington Redskins for two years.

After retiring as a player, Sullivan returned to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he became a successful insurance and tire company executive. He also provided color commentary on Auburn's radio broadcasts for five years before becoming the quarterbacks coach in 1986.

On January 2, 1992, Sullivan was named head coach at Texas Christian University. He stayed there until 1997. From 1999 to 2006, he was on the coaching staff at UAB. He was named head coach at Samford University on December 1, 2006.

Sullivan and his wife Jean are the parents of three children. He was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1991.

AUTHOR:-
Kellen Sears writes reviews on various sporting events including the sports betting websites. In this piece of write up, the author highlights one of the most popular sports CFB and college football betting. The author also refers popular online sportsbook.