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when the police motorcade was forming to escort the Samford team out. We'd been to Toomer's, J&M etc and were walking back toward the car at the Villages. When I saw what was happening I had the family stop and wait. They wanted to know why and I told them that the Samford team and Sully were about to leave and I wanted to be there. After the police went by I started clapping, as did my kids and my "half a bammer" wife. There was another AU group of four 15 yards up from us. Pat was sitting right behind the driver of the first bus, just like Shug used to do. I'm a pretty big guy and my brother describes me as a 6'4" traffic cone when I wear orange, in other words hard to miss. Pat made eye contact and waved. I told my kids to continue to clap for the next two busses because those guys had played hard and deserved to be recognized as a worthy opponent.
While I didn't feel good about the game while watching it, I am glad that Pat's boys put up the fight that they did. The pre-game ceremony was great with both teams staying on the field but somehow it just didn't seem to be enough in my mind. And no, I don't know what enough would have been. Until the day I die Auburn will be Shug Jordan, Sullivan and Beasley and the teams from 1969-1972 and there will never be enough adulation placed on those men. I am proud of almost everyone who has ever worn a blue jersey or a coaches shirt but those were the men and the teams that made me an Auburn man. They were my heroes and Pat Sullivan was the greatest player of them all.
There was an article in the Dothan paper today that said that Danny Speigner told Pat durring the pre-game that he had Ronnie Ross with him. Ronnie caught Pat's first touchdown pass and died of cancer in 2009. Speighner told Pat that he was going to spread Ronnie's ashes in the end zone where he caught that pass. I teared up again reading that this morning.
Finally, yes, Pat Sulliovan is an Auburn Man. To me he is the Auburn Man. I worshiped him as a 10-12 year old and there is nothing that he has done as an adult that makes me think my adulation was ever misplaced.
