Feb 15th, 1996 Senior standouts invited to professional tryouts.

Feb 15, 1996 Page 10--Senior standouts invited to professional tryouts.

Staff Writer

You hear nothing but the pounding of your heart. Sweat pours down your face. As you walk along the darkened tunnel you see a blinding white light at the end and you hear the sound of the ocean. The closer you get to the light the sound of the ocean gets much louder. You run into the blinding white light and the ocean of sound erupts into a crescendo of 80,000 screaming football fans. You run onto a battlefield of green and realize you're in the NFL, you made it to the show, you're Prime Time! Two College of St. Francis football players have started to take their first steps down that tunnel to Prime Time, Jason Puccini and Todd Odell. These two gifted athletes will be participating in the National All-Star Football Classic in April. The All-Star game will showcase the talents of college seniors from all over the United States. Jason Puccini, an All-Conference receiver his junior year, is looking forward to the opportunity to play against the best competition in the U.S. "I want to go out and show everybody what I have to offer. I believe I can take my game to the next level, " said Puccini. "Jason is more than capable of making the big play. I played with him in high school and two years of college ball and he is always doing what it takes to get the job done, " said teammate Matt Bachara. In 1994 against St. Joseph College Puccini set the school record for receptions in a game when he caught 10 passes for 134 yards, Todd Odell, the other Fighting Saint to be invited to the All-Star game, feels he is confident and ready for the task at hand. "It's just one more opportunity to go out and hit people," said Odell. "I'm just going out there to have fun and if something more comes from it, then great." Odell was CSF's Most Valuable Player for the Saints. He was also an All-Conference lineman selection last season. "He's always playing hard, even in practice. After the snap of the ball he's all business. If you're not working hard, Todd will get you every time," said "teammate Rob Curtis. Puccini and Odell are both slated to start the National All-Star Football Classic, which will be held at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Besides the game there will also be a Pro Scout Combine where all the athletes get to show off their talents for the NFL, Canadian and Arena Football Leagues. Only 10 percent of college seniors are chosen for All-Star games, and of that, only 10 percent make it to the Pros. But many will agree that anybody'w who's good enough to be call an All-Star is good enough to be called "Prime Time."

Feb 15, 1996 Page 10--Sullivan celebrates second decade at CSF

Tony Taranto

Sports Editor

The quality and leadership of the College of St. Francis men’s basketball coach, Pat Sullivan, has helped CSF’s Athletic Program become what it is today: a success.

When Sullivan came to CSF in 1976, it was a three sport institution consisting of 45 athletes. Currently there are 13 sports and over 300 athletes. Sullivan haswell over 300 Collegiate victories, including his 300th against wwwNCAA Division I San Francisco University. SFU has produced NBA greats such as Bill Cartwright, K.C. Jones, Guy Williams and Bill Russel. He admits that winning his 300th game was a great thrill, but that’s not important to him. Sullivan is more proud of the fact that 100 of his past 103 senior players have their degrees, stressing that there is more to life than basketball. “Why is there a college? Not for basketball and not for athletics. It’s for kids to get their degress…the thing that I’ll be most proud of at St. Francis is the academic success of our athletes across the board.” Along with basketball, Sullivan has been the athletic director and admits that sometimes things get hectic, but he’s able to balance his busy schedule by having great people working with him. “It’s a team effort,” says Sullivan. Sullivan feels that the mark of a true leader involves being open and getting everybody’s input. “I don’t think leadership should evercome from the top-down. I think it has to be participatory..I will ask our team often “What play do you want to run? What offense do you want to run?” They’re in the game. And that’s exactly how we do it here. Its strictly collective, and I think the best leaders are that way,” said Sullivan. Coming into his 20th season, Sullivan had a 73 percent winningin the tough Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). This record includes 7 first or second place finishes. Sullivan also led his team to it’s first ever appearance at the NAIA National Tournament in the 1993-94 season. That season, he went on to be named the NAIA Illinois Coach of the Year, and honor he had previously received in the 1989-90 season. He twice led teams to second-place finishes in the National Catholic Basketball Tournament. On the fourth occasion he was voted CCAC Coach of the Year. He was a two-time NAIA District 20 Athletic Administrator of the year. In 1992 Sullivan was inducted into the CCAC Hall of Fame. This past summer Sullivan was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, an honor which is truly special to him. “I was very appreciative of that honor. You never know if you deserve those things, and if you do it’s only because of the people around you.” Sullivan was a graduate of Lewis University, where he was calss valedictorian. He went on to be named to the Who’s Who Among American College and University Students that year. Before CSF, Sullivan served as head coach for Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox for seven years, where he averaged just over 13 victories a season. At Providence, he was named Outstanding Young Educator of the Year in 1971. He also led his Providence Celtics to a Chciago Private League title in the 1973-74 season. He was named Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in 1974 (District IV). Coming from the high school level (Providence) to the college level wasn’t a major factor for Sullivan. “The transition for me from the game-coaching viewpoint really was no different. “The only difference, and I really enjoy this difference more..(is) working with older kids.” In 1972 Sullivan was named Community Leader of America. He has his Bachlelor of Arts degree in English. He has earned his Master’s degree in education administration from Indiana State University. Sullivan has also served as director of MacGregor/Milwaukee Bucks Basketball Camps and Clinics throughout the U.S. and has conducted camps and clinics in Europe.

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