Tag: Pat Sullivan

UNC men’s basketball coaching staff the only Power 5 program to hold which honor?

Hubert Davis is only one of a few former UNC men’s basketball players currently on the coaching staff.

In today’s college basketball world, headlined by transfers and coaching changes, it’s rare to see either stay at a program for several years.

Top transfers are choosing NIL money over a guaranteed starting spot, plus struggling Power 5 programs are hiring successful head coaches at lower levels. These both lead many fans to question loyalty in college hoops, with some even saying it’s turning into a professional sport.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, though, are a rare outlier in this instance. Players might transfer out of Chapel Hill, but simply because they want more playing time elsewhere – not primarily for NIL money. Hubert Davis is only UNC’s fifth coach since 1961, when Dean Smith took over the men’s basketball program.

While Hubert’s loyalty is a highlight at North Carolina, his current coaching staff is also quite the loyal bunch, too.

Marcus Paige, Sean May, Jeff Lebo, Brad Frederick and Pat Sullivan join Hubert on the ONLY Power 5 coaching staff with all former players.

Paige, who most recently played with the Tar Heels (2012-2016), was on the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2013 and First-Team All-ACC in 2014. You might best remember his game-tying shot in the 2016 National Championship Game against Villanova, only for that to be undone by Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater.

Sean May was one of the most productive big men in 21st century UNC history, averaging a double-double (17.5 points, 10.7 rebounds per game) during the 2005 National Championship-winning season, in which May earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.

Hubert, who played at North Carolina from 1988-1992, earned Second Team All-ACC Honors in 1992. He averaged a scorching 21.4 points per game during that season, led UNC to the Final Four in 1991, then ended his NBA career second all-time in 3-point percentage (.441).

Lebo played under legendary Tar Heel coach Dean Smith from 1985-1989. Lebo was also teammates with Hubert during the 1988-1989 campaign – years later, they’re coaching together.

Sullivan, now North Carolina’s Director of Recruiting, was part of the 1993 UNC Natty-winning squad. Entering the 2023 season, Sullivan played in and won more NCAA Tournament games than any other Tar Heel.

Frederick, primarily a bench player in Chapel Hill from 1996-1999, played with future NBA stars Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison.

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Auburn football legend Terry Beasley passes away at age 73

Beasley was known as Pat Sullivan’s favorite target from 1969-71.

Auburn football announced Wednesday night that its all-time leading receiver has passed away.

Auburn fans learned late Wednesday that [autotag]Terry Beasley[/autotag], who was known as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag]’s top target from 1969-1971, passed away at the age of 73.

Beasley is one of two receivers to ever record 1,000 receiving yards in a season at Auburn, doing so in 1970. He hauled in 52 passes for 1,051 yards and 11 touchdowns that season as Auburn finished the season with a 9-2 record.

His incredible 1970 season fueled the rest of his career, as he was able to haul in 141 passes for 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns. His final collegiate numbers continue to be chased, as his total yards are 224 yards more than Auburn’s second-place receiver, [autotag]Tyrone Goodson[/autotag], and he remains the only Auburn receiver to reel in over 20 career touchdown passes.

Beasley’s No. 88 is one of three numbers retired by Auburn football, joining former teammate Pat Sullivan’s No. 7 and Heisman Trophy-winning running back [autotag]Bo Jackson[/autotag]’s No. 34.

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Which Auburn legend is a favorite of ESPN’s Rece Davis?

The ESPN personality recently picked his all-time favorite player from each SEC program, and this Auburn Heisman winner made the cut.

ESPN personality Rece Davis has seen his share of college football games during his lifetime.

A native of Muscle Shoals and a graduate of the University of Alabama, Davis could be considered an expert on SEC football, which means that his opinion on such matters carries plenty of merit.

He recently revealed his picks for an all-time favorite player from each SEC team. For his Auburn representative, he chose a Heisman Trophy winner. However, it may not be the one that you are thinking about.

Davis says that a former Auburn quarterback is his favorite Tiger of all time, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag].

Sullivan was the first player from Auburn to win the coveted award after throwing for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1971, on his way to winning his second-straight SEC Player of the Year honor. His Auburn career ended with 6,534 total yards and 54 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 541 yards.

Sullivan would go on to have a lengthy coaching career. He dove into the profession in 1986, serving as the quarterbacks coach at Auburn until 1991. He left Auburn to become the head coach at TCU from 1992-97, where he led the Horned Frogs to a 24-42-1 record. He finished his coaching career at Samford, going 47-43 in eight seasons.

Sullivan passed away in 2019 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Other players to make Davis’ list includes Tennessee‘s Reggie White, Georgia‘s David Pollack, and Arkansas‘ Darren McFadden.

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Auburn football helmets through the years

Which helmet is your favorite?

Auburn football has a very simple history with its uniforms, especially since the 1980s.

According to Auburn uniform historian Clint Richardson, owner of the Auburn Uniform Database, The Tigers have worn the usual navy home and white away jerseys with orange and white stripes on the sleeves with an orange line bordered by two navy lines on white pants since 1966, with the only exception being between the 1996-98 seasons when the jersey numbers featured an orange trim.

The helmets, however, have seen a few more alterations.

The usual look of the white shell with a navy facemask has only been the “normal” helmet since 1984. Prior to that season, Auburn sported an orange mask from 1979-1983. Before that, Auburn wore white helmets with silver facemasks.

Auburn’s helmet remained unchanged until 2007 when Auburn donned a throwback helmet in a game against Vanderbilt at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers took on another change for the 2019 Outback Bowl, as they used their helmets as a tribute to Heisman Trophy winner [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] who had recently passed.

Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Auburn played four games in orange facemasks and three additional games in white masks.

Check out Auburn Athletics’ full uniform history at AuburnUniforms.com.

Which look is your favorite? Here’s a look at Auburn’s helmets through the years.

No LSU? No problem: Oklahoma to become Auburn’s most notable SEC opponent in 2024

AL.com’s Mark Heim shares why Oklahoma is Auburn’s most intriguing opponent following the 2024 SEC schedule release.

Tradition is sacred, and often the most comfortable aspect of life. But there is something exciting about shaking things up a bit.

That’s what Auburn football will experience in 2024. It will not play LSU for the first time since 1992 due to the SEC’s decision to eliminate divisions with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas.

Despite the lack of LSU on the schedule, Auburn will still have a challenging slate thanks to scheduled road trips to Alabama and Georgia in 2024. Who replaces LSU as the notable even-year home game for Auburn? AL.com’s Mark Heim said that honor will go to the new kid on the block, Oklahoma.

Heim broke down every SEC program’s 2024 schedule and selected the most notable game for every SEC team. Auburn’s date with Oklahoma will be exciting. It will mark the first time the Tigers face the Sooners at a home site in both programs’ history.

Auburn has faced Oklahoma twice, both at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Sooners defeated Auburn and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] in the 1972 Sugar Bowl, 40-22, behind a solid day from quarterback Jack Mildren.

The second meeting between these two programs took place in 2017. Oklahoma beat Auburn, 35-17. The Tigers trailed Oklahoma, 14-13, at halftime, but the Sooners scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to run away with the win. Sooners’ quarterback Baker Mayfield won the MVP award after gaining 330 all-purpose yards.

In addition to Oklahoma, Auburn will also host Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Arkansas in 2024.

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Local restaurant to honor Cadillac Williams with special menu item

Fans will have the opportunity to construct the perfect burger or sandwich that will honor Cadillac Williams.

What does [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag], [autotag]Rod Bramblett[/autotag], [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag], [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] all have in common? They each have a menu item named after them at a local restaurant.

Niffers, an Auburn establishment best known for its’ burgers and sandwiches, announced Wednesday that they would recognize former Auburn running back and interim head coach Cadillac Williams with a special menu item.

“For all he did then & all he does NOW… Carnell “Cadillac” Williams deserves his own menu item,” the restaurant shared in a tweet.

What will the menu item be? That will be for Auburn fans to decide. Niffers has allowed the general public to construct the perfect burger or sandwich that will be perfectly named “The Cadillac.”

Fans have until Jan. 31 to build the perfect menu item. Participants in the contest will have the option to choose bread, protein, toppings, and sauces that will go on the item. The winner will receive a $100 Niffers gift card, and a free “The Cadillac” every month.

Williams rushed for 3,381 yards and 45 touchdowns during his time as a player from 2001-04. He later returned to Auburn as an assistant coach in 2019, and was named interim head coach following the dismissal of Bryan Harsin in 2022. He led the Tigers to a 2-2 record during his time as head coach, and was retained by newly hired head coach Hugh Freeze.

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Auburn set to honor Frank Thomas with statue at Plainsman Park

Auburn Baseball will honor the SEC’s lone member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a statue this upcoming season.

When college sports fans associate legends with Auburn University, their minds usually go to the three B’s… Bo, Barkley, and the Big Hurt.

[autotag]Bo Jackson[/autotag], who won the Heisman Trophy in 1985, has a statue at the entrance of Jordan-Hare Stadium alongside the program’s other two winners, [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

Soon after Jackson’s statue was unveiled, a statue was constructed to honor [autotag]Charles Barkley[/autotag]. That statue now welcomes scholarship donors to Neville Arena on Auburn Basketball game days.

The only statue missing is one honoring [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag]. Those days are now numbered.

Thomas, who played baseball and football at Auburn in the late 1980s before enjoying an MLB career that spanned from 1990-2008, will have a statue unveiled at Plainsman Park in his honor on April 8, 2023, according to officials with Auburn Baseball.

Thomas was selected No. 7 overall by the Chicago White Sox during the 1989 Major League Baseball draft and would play for the White Sox from 1990-2005. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays.

During his 19-year career, Thomas hit 521 home runs and drove in 1,704 runs while batting .301. He was also a five-time all-star and a two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection in 2014, and remains the SEC’s lone member.

Auburn Baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] says that Thomas’ statue is a testament to the strong history of the program.

“I think it just gives another degree and shows how good our history is with Auburn baseball,” Thompson said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “There are so many other players that I’m not mentioning, but none are bigger than Frank Thomas. For him to get our first statue, I think it’s in line with the other amazing Auburn men and women that have gotten statues.”

Thomas’ statue will be unveiled during a crucial SEC weekend for Auburn Baseball. The Tigers welcome fellow 2022 College World Series participant, Texas A&M, from April 6-8, and the statue reveal will be the icing on the cake.

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LOOK: UNC staff joins Brady Manek at NBA workout

Former UNC basketball forward Brady Manek was joined by a few former Tar Heels and current staff members at one of his NBA workouts.

The term ‘Carolina Family’ isn’t just a saying, it’s something the entire program lives by. Once you are part of that family, it sticks with you forever.

And, that is the case with former UNC basketball forward [autotag]Brady Manek[/autotag]. Manek played just one season for North Carolina but quickly become a fan-favorite.

On Friday, he took part in workouts for the Washington Wizards and he had some familiar faces by his side. Head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag], Director of Recruiting [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] and former Tar Heel great and current Wizards Director of Pro Personnel [autotag]Antwan Jamison[/autotag] were in the house for Manek’s workout.

In his lone season with UNC, Manek averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. He also shot 40.3 percent from the three-point line.

Earlier this week, Manek worked out with the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks.

Manek is projected to go undrafted right now, but good showings in workouts can easily translate to late second-round picks or quick undrafted free-agent signings.

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Auburn helmets through the years

Auburn’s football helmet has undergone more evolution than you may have thought throughout the team’s history.

The helmet of a football uniform is arguably its most important part.

The iconography of a team’s football helmet is often the most representative of its uniform — ESPN’s College Gameday always presents the helmets of the two competing teams at the forefront of its set, for example, and each player uses different styles, brands and facemasks to make it one of the only parts of the uniform they can make their own.

While many may think the Auburn Tigers have had the same helmet across its entire tenure, that isn’t exactly true. Auburn has done a few different things with its helmet since the team first started wearing them, and it has also made use of some fun throwback helmets and meaningful symbolism. Fans have seen a few different changes to the tried-and-true variant over the years.

Here’s a guide to Auburn’s football helmet and just how it has evolved to the present day:

Auburn Football: The top 10 all-time receivers in program history

Auburn has had some great receivers, here are the 10 best in program history.

Auburn is more known for their running backs but they have also had some impressive receivers.

The first to come to mind is [autotag]Terry Beasley[/autotag] who was part of an unstoppable connection with [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag]. Beasley’s records will be tough for anyone to break but [autotag]Tyrone Goodson [/autotag]and [autotag]Karsten Bailey[/autotag] came close back in the 1990’s.

[autotag]Seth Williams[/autotag] has been Auburn’s best recent receiver before he left for the NFL. Other notable receivers this millennium include [autotag]Emory Blake[/autotag], [autotag]Darvin Adams[/autotag], and [autotag]Courtney Taylor[/autotag].

While none of Auburn’s current receivers are likely to wind up on this list, the Tigers have some talented but unproven targets who are looking to breakout during the 2022 season. Here is a look at the 10 leading receivers in Auburn history.