Patrick Joseph Sullivan was born January 18, 1950 and gained fame as the quarterback for the Auburn Tigers football team. After graduation, he played six seasons in the NFL and is currently the head football coach at Samford University.
The bronze statue is one and one-half times life size, which would make it around 9 feet tall. It weighs 1,900 pounds. It is mounted on a marble plinth on a stone and brick pedestal outside gate 4 on the east side of the stadium. The statue shows Sullivan dressed in his Auburn football uniform with his right arm in the air getting ready to pass the football. The statue does not have a helmet so fans can see his face. It was created by Ken Bjorge of Montana in 2011, although the setting in place and the dedication took place in 2012.
At the ceremony, Pat Sullivan had these comments:
"Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, took to the stage first. Sullivan inspired the crowd when he invoked the memory of two men who couldn't be present at the event--Coach Shug Jordan and his father.
"I know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them," Sullivan said. "I know they are looking down, and I know they are proud."
Sullivan shared the credit for his Heisman and other individual awards he received.
"I know that I didn't win it by myself," Sullivan said.
The former Auburn quarterback and current head coach at Samford University reminisced about watching the 1971 Heisman Trophy announcement at halftime of the Georgia-Georgia Tech game on television at Memorial Coliseum.
Sullivan said three choices defined his life--his faith, his decision to attend Auburn and his decision to marry his wife, Jean. All three of those choices came into play when he was diagnosed with cancer nine years ago, a battle he said he could not have won without his faith, the support of his wife and former teammates and even former rivals who showed their support throughout the fight of his life.
"I know I wouldn't be here today without all of those things," Sullivan said.
While Sullivan said he was grateful for the awards and for the new statue that bears his name, he counts his relationship with former teammates among his greatest blessings.
"It's not these statues," Sullivan said. "It's not the awards. Sure they are a part of it. But what you get out of athletics when it's all said it's done, it's the relationships that last for a lifetime."" source: (
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Photos of the ceremony, including one of Sullivan standing on a platform next to the statue, can be found at (
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