Sullivan’s fight
12/19/2004 Dave Reardon StarBulletin.com You won't see that little bulge in any of their chins, that periodic tight spray of spit, that plastic cup that is not for drinking. The University of Alabama, Birmingham Blazers’ offensive coordinator and former winner of the Heisman Trophy beat the odds and cancer Some might have the urge sometimes, but none of the UAB football players, coaches or staff would ever have the nerve to dip in front of offensive coordinator Pat Sullivan. "I don't think so, not after what he's been through," Blazers head coach Watson Brown said. As far as Sullivan and Brown know, none of the UAB personnel who used smokeless tobacco in the past do anymore, not after what Sullivan went through last year. "I don't really know of anybody who does it now," Sullivan said. Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner as an Auburn quarterback, was diagnosed in August 2003 with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of throat cancer. He underwent surgery the next month to remove three lumps from his neck. Doctors told him he had a 65 percent to 70 percent chance of surviving. The Birmingham, Ala., hometown hero and former NFL player and TCU head coach simply said he would "whip it." And that's what Sullivan did. "It was awfully, awfully difficult. I had to go through three very strong rounds of chemotherapy and I had 33 or 34 treatments of radiation. I probably lost 60 pounds over the course of the year," said Sullivan, who [...]