Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Nickname: "'Big Sexy.' [Defensive coordinator Brian] VanGorder came up with it after I lost all the weight." Dorm: "O'Neill Hall." Major: "Psychology; I changed it from business." Favorite TV show: "I've really been getting into 'Supernatural.' I watched it when I was home, and now it's on Netflix so I can see it." Favorite place around South Bend to eat: "I love JJ's Chicken, but I also like Penn Station. I'm more of a sandwich type of guy." Favorite movie: "That's a tough one. I really like 'Road to Glory.'" Toughest player you've played against: "Definitely [Notre Dame center] Nick Martin. He knows how to read the defense really well." Favorite pregame music: "I listen to slow jams really, just calming my nerves. It gets my mind set on what I need to do." Favorite part of playing for Notre Dame: "Just the opportunity that I get when I graduate. Getting a job with a Notre Dame degree is a whole lot easier." Getting To Know … SOPHOMORE DEFENSIVE TACKLE DANIEL CAGE ED SULLIVAN: 1935-2015 Ed Sullivan, co‑captain of the 1957 Notre Dame team that had one of the great rebound campaigns in school history, died on Nov. 12 in his South Bend home. He was 80. The McKeesport, Pa., native was recruited by Frank Leahy's staff and earned his first monogram as a sophomore lineman in 1955 on a team that finished 8‑2 and No. 9 in the country. During the 2‑8 season in 1956, Sullivan was the starting center who snapped the ball to Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung and also led the team in tackles with 79 while playing linebacker (Hornung was second with 55). He also was such a proficient long snapper that he asked his punters whether they wanted him to deliver the football "laces up or laces down." Named a co‑captain in 1957, Sullivan's leadership helped the Irish finish 7‑3 and No. 10 in the country, highlighted by the 7‑0 win at Oklahoma to end the Sooners' NCAA record 47‑game winning streak. An ankle injury did not allow him to travel to the game with the team, but he made it on his own to deliver a rousing pre‑game speech (highlighted in the Nov. 5, 2012 edition of Blue & Gold Illustrated). Drafted by the Green Bay Packers, Sullivan starred three years in the Canadian Football League and achieved All‑Pro status twice, for the British Columbia Lions, before settling in South Bend in sales, real estate and as an entrepreneur. "Everything that makes Notre Dame so very special — God and faith, tradition and values, loyalty and a fighting spirit — was personified in full by Ed Sullivan," said Roger Valdiserri, Notre Dame's sports infor‑ mation director from 1966‑95. "He had this sincere selflessness and emotional core that was nurturing and made everyone who knew him feel better. A true Notre Dame man." Sullivan is survived by his wife of 56 years, Rose, four children and 12 grandchildren. — Lou Somogyi SULLIVAN