John Sullivan (kicker)
| No. 1 | |
| Date of birth | January 6, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Fullerton, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Placekicker |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 158 lb (72 kg) |
| US college | New Mexico |
| High school | Tehachapi (Tehachapi, California) |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2007 | New Mexico |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Sullivan (born January 6, 1985) is an American former college football placekicker who played for the New Mexico Lobos.
Early life
[edit]John Fitzgerald Sullivan was born on January 6, 1985, in Fullerton, California.[1] He played high school football at Tehachapi High School in Tehachapi, California and earned honorable mention all-area honors.[1] He won the football team's scholar-athlete award.[1] Sullivan also lettered in soccer and golf in high school, and was a two-time MVP in both sports.[1] He graduated from Tehachapi in 2003.[1]
College career
[edit]Sullivan transferred to the University of New Mexico in the spring of 2004 from San Jose State University, where he did not play any games.[1] He suffered a potentially career-ending torn ACL in spring 2007 but fully recovered without any surgery.[1] He earned the starting placekicker job for the New Mexico Lobos his senior year in 2007 despite not having kicked in a game since high school in 2002.[1]
Sullivan led all of Division I in field goals made in 2007 with 29.[2] He also led Division I with a 2.42 field goals per game average, the highest total in college football since 1984.[3] He made a school record 18 straight field goals.[3] Sullivan was named a consensus All-American.[4][5] He also earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.[6] He majored in exercise science at New Mexico.[1] Sullivan stood 5'10" and weighed 158 pounds.[1]
Post-playing career
[edit]Sullivan was rated the tenth best placekicker in the 2008 NFL draft.[7] Despite being a consensus All-American, he never signed with an NFL team. After his college career, he graduated from California State University, Fresno with a master’s degree in sports management.[8] He then worked for the Mountain West Conference, serving as championship coordinator from 2010 to 2014, assistant commissioner for championships from 2015 to 2017, and associate commissioner from 2018 to 2021.[8] In 2022, Sullivan was named the deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Southland Conference.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Sullivan's father played football and rugby at Cerritos College and Cal State Los Angeles.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "JOHN SULLIVAN". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "John Sullivan". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "John Sullivan (Football". golobos.com. August 26, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ "John Sullivan". golobos.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ "Football All-Mountain West Teams and Superlative Awards" (Press release). Mountain West Conference.
- ^ "John Sullivan". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c Yonis, Josh (August 18, 2022). "Southland welcomes John Sullivan as Deputy Commissioner & Chief Operating Officer". CrescentCitySports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2025.