Sullivan, one of the most accomplished high school coaches in the state of Florida, stepped down from his post at Atlantic Coast High School on January 15. Sullivan, who also coached at Andrew Jackson High and Port Orange Atlantic, established the Atlantic Coast program. The Stingrays were 32-18 over five seasons, never finishing below .500.
Sullivan, who was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame a week before making his announcement, said it was refreshing not to be preparing for spring practice for the first time in 29 years.
“I’m dealing with a little recruiting, finishing up our seniors and a few juniors,” Sullivan said. “I’m taking it easy and not getting too worried about too many things.”
Sullivan started his coaching career at St. Thomas Aquinas in 1981. He led Jackson to a 93-33 record during an 11-year run with the Tigers. He left there in 2010 to start the program at Atlantic Coast.
He is not sure how he will deal with not coaching in the fall.
“If I miss it, then I will get back in,” Sullivan said. “If I don’t miss it, then I won’t.”
Sullivan, who is 181-84 in his high school career, said after last season was over, he felt it was the right time to step down.
Longtime assistant coach Matt Elliott has taken over the head coaching position at Atlantic Coast.
“I didn’t want to be selfish,” Sullivan said. “When I came back from Christmas, I did not have any kind of drive. Usually I come back from Christmas, and I’m pretty excited. I told my wife (Tammy) that I’m done. My wife told me,’ I’ve been around you 29 years and this is the most miserable that I’ve seen you.”
He admitted that burnout could be an issue, but he added that he doesn’t like the way high school football is going.
“It used to be about pride of the school and the program,” Sullivan said. “It’s lost that. Now it’s all about making highlight films. We’re a ‘me’ society. It’s all about me and my film getting out there. If I don’t like it, I change to this school or that school. It’s been about the kids buying in and school and pride. There are too many unrealistic expectations of parents.
Every kid thinks he is a Division-I kid. The coach gets blamed for everything. I just felt it was time. I thought about 
(stepping down) last year. By game three this year, I was thinking about it more and more.”
Sullivan said relationships between coaches have also changed.
“It’s become too cutthroat,” Sullivan said. “Some coaches think I get all this publicity for my school so get me this and that,” Sullivan said. “I’m not sure where that came from.”
Times have changed. Sullivan said ten years ago, players and coaches were happy with having a few Division-I signees and two or three other smaller-school signees.
“Now, kids are like, ‘if FIU and FAU offered why is UF and FSU not offering’?” Sullivan said. “I say be happy someone wants you. It’s crazy. We police our kids and talk to them about academics. Some kids are more interested in academics than others, but it does provide an open door for them.”
Sullivan is not one to brag on his accomplishments, such as taking Port Orange Atlantic to the playoffs in only their second year of existence.
“I think I’m the same guy who got into it,” Sullivan said. “I did it the right way. I’ve been a gentleman. I try to teach kids more about life than football. I’ve made some wonderful relationships. So many people who played and coached for me have reached out to me when they found out. There have been some wonderful things they have said to me which you don’t hear unless you die. Some people have reached out that I did not even know I had influence over, such as assistant coaches from Clay County or in the panhandle, which was sort of cool. I have tried to believe that I build relationships with others.”
Sullivan, who was named the 2001 Dairy Farmers Florida State Coach of the Year, said it’s interesting what he remembers about his career.
“I couldn’t tell people about the wins, but I could tell people about any loss,” Sullivan said. “I could tell you about kids you never heard of who have become doctors, English teachers, lawyers, and coaches. Those are the special ones you hold dear. Everyone knows about (former Jackson High, Florida State and NFL-Tennessee Titan) Leon (Washington), but there a lot of kids who are great fathers and great at their jobs.”
During his career, Sullivan has helped countless players earn college scholarships, such as Kenyatta Watson of Boston College; Marc Renaud of Michigan State; Carlos Joseph of Miami; Jeff Wilson of Ohio State; Brian Powell of Memphis; James Crawford of Virginia Tech, Stockar McDougle of Oklahoma (NFL- Lions, Dolphins, Jaguars), Derek Owens of Georgia; Marquel Wade of Arkansas; Michael Hicks and Danny Bell of Ole Miss, Leon Washington, FSU (NFL- Jets, Seahawks), Marlon McCree (Kentucky, NFL-Jags, Chargers), William Bartee (Oklahoma, NFL-Chiefs) and George Stripling of Louisville.
Sullivan said coaching has always given him a sanctuary from the pressures of life.
“The greatest fun, no matter where I’ve been, is when I stepped on practice field. That was where I was at peace,”
Sullivan said. “I buried my dad, brother and father-in-law within 18 months (2005, ‘06, ‘07), but when I stepped on the practice field it didn’t matter. When I stepped on the game field there was no other place I wanted to be, regardless of the size of the crowd. When you go to practice, you had a purpose. There was something you tried to teach the kids, and that has always been the best part of the job. I don’t care what anyone says.”
Sullivan laughed when asked if he had any hobbies. He said he just reads and works out. He jogs primarily to prepare for the annual Jacksonville River Run.
Over the years, Sullivan has built a network of friends in the coaching business.
“St. Augustine’s Joey Wiles was a good sounding board for me,” Sullivan said. “(First Coast’s) Marty Lee and I battled and hugged each other when it was over. Mark Thorson at Bishop Kenny and I had some tremendous battles. I’ve always had a good relationship with Corky Rogers at Bolles and Verlon Dorminey (Trinity Christian) to name a few.”
Sullivan is very grateful for the support of his wife Tammy and his two children Michael, who is a senior at Florida State and daughter Alora, who is a second year graduate school student at Clemson.
“I’m fortunate because my son played baseball and I didn’t miss his stuff,” Sullivan said. “I missed my daughter’s volleyball games, but I made it up with softball. In my Hall of Fame speech, I said my wife was the one who should have been in Hall of Fame. She allowed me to raise everybody else’s kids.”
He said the key to raising a family as a coach is balance.
“The thing with my kids is I made them a priority,” Sullivan. “I taught them along the way when the kids I coached would get in trouble, I would let them see it so they wouldn’t make those mistakes.”
Overall, Sullivan said the positives outweighed the negatives in his career.
“There were a lot more good memories than bad,” Sullivan said. “I found a job that I love. It never felt like a job until the end.”
One on One / North Florida/ April 2015
Kevin Sullivan
Former Atlantic Coast Football Coach (Retired)
Jacksonville, FL
Brent Beaird
