Athens, Ohio (January 24, 2001) - Ohio head football coach Brian Knorr announced the addition of Mike Sullivan as defensive secondary coach for the Bobcats.

"Mike Sullivan will bring toughness to our defensive secondary," explained Knorr. "As a West Point graduate and a former Army ranger, he will be a great motivator and recruiter for our staff. His Ohio experience with Coach (Jim) Tressel at Youngstown State and in recruiting in Ohio will be a great asset to our program."

Sullivan joins the Bobcat program after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at the U.S. Military Academy, his alma mater. He worked with outside linebackers last season after serving as defensive backs coach in 1999.

Sullivan returned to the Army after a two-year stint at Youngstown State. While there, he was in charge of the Penguin defensive backs as well as the punt block and return units. He also helped the Penguins earn the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in 1997.

Prior to his duties at YSU, Sullivan served two years on Bob Sutton's staff at Army. One season, he was the head junior varsity coach while working with the outside linebackers and long snappers. The other year, he was the junior varsity defensive coordinator and assistant with the varsity inside linebackers.

While earning his master's degree in health and physical education from Humboldt State, Sullivan worked with tight ends and wide receivers as a graduate assistant during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Sullivan's
coaching experience began at Mount San Jacinto College in his native California in the spring of 1993.

As a player, Sullivan was a key member of the 1988 Army team that took on national power Alabama in the John Hancock Sun Bowl. Sullivan was a special teams standout who played both the nickel back and cornerback
positions within the defensive secondary.

After graduation from West Point in 1989, he attended the Army's Airborne, Ranger and Air Assault schools and served as an Infantry Officer at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

Sullivan earned his bachelor's degree in English from the U.S. Military Academy in 1989. He is married (wife Julie).