AUBURN, Ala. – During the first week of the 2024 Auburn baseball season, head coach Butch Thompson dropped in to the newly opened Hall of Fame Club to speak at a ceremony honoring 2024 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee Scott Sullivan.
"One of the best men I've met since I've walked this earth," Thompson said of Sullivan, who pitched for the Tigers from 1991-93.
When the Thompsons moved to Auburn after Butch became head coach before the 2016 season, he wanted to live as close as possible to Sullivan, seeking accountability and a person of character to help Butch grow personally as he rebuilt the baseball program.
As a bonus, the Thompsons' neighbor makes it possible for their fireplace – a family gathering spot in the offseason – to keep burning.
"I haven't filled that woodbin in eight years because this man fills my woodbin," Thompson said.
That esteem, says Sullivan, travels in both directions.
"If my son had the ability to play college baseball, there's no other man in America that I would rather have my son under the authority of than Coach Thompson," Sullivan said.
Auburn family (l/r): John Cohen, Butch Thompson, Leann Sullivan, Scott Sullivan, Gabe Gross, Tim Hudson
Chopping wood, for Scott Sullivan, is nothing new.
Raised on a small farm in Pickens County in west Alabama, Sullivan recalls using dried manure for bases during post-chore baseball games in the pasture.
"It taught you a lot of discipline," Sullivan told Andy Burcham during a recent Talking Tigers podcast. "We were competing in everything. An enjoyable childhood."
After one year at Marion Military Institute, Sullivan walked on at Auburn.
"My dad graduated from Auburn, but I had never been on campus," said Sullivan, who asked his future teammates for the location and name of the program's head coach, Hal Baird.
"I walked up to him and introduced myself," Sullivan remembered. "He came to the conclusion that I would give the hitters a lot of confidence in batting practice and intrasquad."
One fateful afternoon during practice, Sullivan retrieved a ball in the outfield and threw sidearm back to the infield. In that moment, Baird had a revelation that eventually led to Sullivan's 10-year MLB career.
Pitching sidearm, Sullivan's velocity increased dramatically while his unique arm angle confounded hitters. Baird awarded him a scholarship, which allowed Sullivan to graduate before embarking on his professional career.
Sidearmer: Scott Sullivan changed his pitching motion at the suggestion of former Auburn coach Hal Baird
"Life changing," said Sullivan of the financial assistance. He mentored younger teammates who helped Auburn reach the College World Series in 1994. "It was awesome to be a part of, to start that run in the '90s."
Drafted by Cincinnati in 1993, Sullivan debuted for the Reds two years later, setting a franchise record by pitching at least 100 innings in relief each season from 1998-2001.
Ranking second in Reds history with 494 pitching appearances, Sullivan also pitched for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, finishing in 2004 with a 3.98 ERA and 622 career strikeouts.
"It all started here," Sullivan said at the Hall of Fame Club, 33 years after arriving on the Plains. "I just wanted to be here. To have this as an establishment of a foundation to carry me through the rest of my life. It's been remarkable."
Married for 30 years to Leann, the Sullivans raised three children, with her doing the heavy lifting during his pitching days.
"When I was riding around in private airplanes and eating my choice of steak, chicken or shrimp, she was eating leftover macaroni and cheese and changing diapers," Scott said.
Sullivan becomes the 10th former Auburn baseball player to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, joining Jimmy Hitchcock (1969), Billy Hitchcock (1975), Jimmy Outlaw (1990), Bo Jackson (1996), Joe Beckwith (2004), Frank Thomas (2011), Tim Hudson (2018), Q.V. Lowe (2020) and Hal Baird (2021).
"It's really neat to see the impact Auburn has on people, and the longevity and generational influence of that impact," he said. "I'm extremely humbled and grateful to be an Auburn graduate going into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame."
On Saturday in Birmingham, Sullivan joins a hall of fame that includes native Alabamians and baseball legends Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige.
"I'd have to pitch another 50 years to match Satchel Paige's records," Sullivan said with characteristic modesty. "It's going to be special for me and my family."
That Feb. 20 ceremony at Plainsman Park was all about Scott Sullivan, until the guest of honor spoke. He made it about Auburn.
"Y'all have been a wonderful part of my journey," Sullivan said. "And that's what an Auburn family is. Let's keep building, let's keep growing and let's keep supporting each other as an Auburn family."
The man who made a career out of putting out fires now makes sure the fire never burns out.
Scott Sullivan, who wore No. 29 for for the Tigers from 1991-93, becomes Auburn baseball's 10th inductee in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
