Three Decades Later, The Sullivan Saga Still Resonates with the Dragons

By Larry Scott

It’s been over 30 years since Randy Sullivan checked into his first football camp at Moorhead State University. It would mark the beginning of an illustrious career that still conjures up great memories three decades later, and it serves as a cautionary tale about the real uncertainty of recruiting.

A native of tiny Stewart in southeastern Minnesota, Sullivan charted a prosperous prep career, doing all he could to catch the eye of college coaches and adapting well when Stewart High School dropped from the 11-man game to nine-man football in his senior year.

“It was my understanding I led the state in rushing as a junior and senior,” Sullivan recalled. “I think I averaged about 185 yards a game my senior year, but we never made it to state, in fact we never made it out of our conference. (Maybe) I was naive to think that I could end up doing what I did coming from a small school with no real guidance or training.”

Even after all these years, Sullivan clearly remembers the recruiting process. There was some interest, most of it from small private schools, and a couple of opportunities to walk on. Somehow, through the recruiting haze came an emissary from MSU Moorhead, and the fog began to lift for Sullivan.

“The first coach I had contact with was (defensive coordinator) Dave Olson,” said Sullivan. “I came up for a visit, and the number one factor (in my decision) was the winning tradition. There were a lot of good players here and a good history.”

“There were no real promises other than I could come up and compete. I was pretty sure I was going to play offense, but coach Olson talked about me playing defense. Fortunately, the head coach was an offensive guy, and I got to stay on offense.”

Sullivan would quickly benefit from the coaching wisdom of Fortier.

“Ross was the first real football coach I had; my high school coach really was a basketball coach,” said Sullivan. “Coach Fortier taught me the game. He was very organized, very consistent, and we always knew what we would be doing. We didn’t try to do a bunch of things; we just had to execute to be successful. Because of his commitment to doing the best at whatever we were doing, we knew we could succeed, even if the defense knew what we were doing.”

Years later, Sullivan remains impressed about the splendid relationship between Fortier and Olson.

“I got to spend every day with coach Fortier because he was runningbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Dave was a little more outspoken and interactive, but it was a perfect blend. Ole was the rah-rah guy who got us fired up, while Ross was always thinking two and three series ahead. He had great calmness and unwavering confidence in what we were doing.”

“It was very intimidating, coming from a small school,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t know anybody who had played college football, and when I got here, I was impressed with how big they were and how fast they looked. I remember after my second day being so sore and stiff. . . calling back home and talking to my mom about how maybe this isn’t for me. . . but after the two-a-days were over, I felt more comfortable.”

It didn’t take Sullivan long to make an imprint at State.

He spent most of his rookie season with the Dragon junior varsity, and was voted Most Valuable Freshman, but he was also included on the travel roster for the post-season playoff game at Pittsburg (KS) State. He was the lone freshman added to the limited roster.

“I felt very comfortable in my ability against the other freshmen. I won the freshman award, but I never started a game for the freshman team. We had four other backs, and we had a rotating system. Just by chance I never got to start, but I led the team in rushing.”

“I got to travel for the playoff game and return kickoffs,” said Sullivan. “That was my first (varsity) action. I’ll never forget before the game (captain) Randy Bjorklund grabbed me by the shoulder pads and said, ‘Don’t fumble.’ I didn’t.”

“The next spring they moved me to fullback because Jerry Allen was back. We ran mostly open backs, but I was the fullback in the I-formation and won the position that spring before my sophomore year.”

He became the feature back in the Dragon offense as a sophomore in 1982 and rushed for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns on 176 carries. He also finished second in scoring on the final NCAA Division II national chart with 12.2 ppg, and sixth in rushing, 108.

His numbers spiked considerably in 1983 as a junior. Sullivan’s workload increase to 233 carries, and he produced 1,123 yards with 10 touchdowns and finished third nationally with 126.3 yards a game.

Crafting an encore for his senior year would be tricky stuff for most backs, but Sullivan set a single season record with 1,406 rushing yards on 285 carries with 20 touchdowns. He reached a memorable personal goal by leading the nation in both rushing, 140.6, and scoring, 13.2.

He exited as the Moorhead State’s career leader for rushing (3,515) and scoring (316), and set a career record with 52 touchdowns.

He reached the 100-yard plateau19 times, including nine of 10 games as a senior, and scored five touchdowns against Minnesota Morris in 1984. He also scored four touchdowns on three other occasions.

He was a three-time NIC rushing and scoring champion and a first team All-NIC pick all three years. He was decorated with NIC Player of the Week honors eight times. A first team All-NAIA District 13 selection as a senior, he was voted the top player in the district.

Sullivan was an NAIA Honorable mention All-American as a sophomore, a second team pick as a junior and a first team choice as a senior.

Sullivan burst upon the regional and national scene with a breakout performance in a 30-9 victory over Concordia College in game two. Sullivan rushed for 163 yards and four touchdowns.

After the game, he was quick to deflect praise to others. “They were keying on (Jerry) Allen,” he offered.

“That was my most memorable game, and it solidified with my teammates that I could play, that I could contribute. It was my second start, and I was the only new starter on offense. The next day there was a picture of me scoring a touchdown in the Minneapolis Tribune; that was neat.”

There would be a long line of memorable games in Sullivan’s portfolio, including a 227-yard rushing harvest against Kearney State as a senior and a 175-yard, five-touchdown day in a wild 45-42 loss at Minnesota-Morris as a senior.

By his sophomore year Sullivan became a marked man, the focal point of opposing defenses. It would extract a toll, and while Sullivan would receive more than his share of big hits, he never missed a game. “I missed about three quarters of the Winona State game as a senior with a back spasm,” said Sullivan. He would bounce back the next week to score five touchdowns against UMM.

There was a time when Sullivan thought briefly about testing his skills on a bigger stage.

“I considered transferring to Nebraska after my sophomore year,” Sullivan said. “I was confident I could play at the highest level. Nebraska was an I-formation team, and I was an I-back. I talked to coach Olson about it. He had left Moorhead State, and I knew he would be honest with me. He gave me nothing but encouragement, and said I could play there, but he also said I would have an incredible future here, so I stayed.”

A Construction Management major at Moorhead State, Sullivan is convinced college football provides a rich learning experience beyond the classroom, “There’s not a better education,” said Sullivan. “Getting the degree is great, but the best education is the one you get in the locker room.”

Today Sullivan looks back on his collegiate career with a sense of satisfaction and melancholy from his home in Hawaii. It was a magical time in his life, but he knows they are gone for good, and only the memories remain.

“I was thankful for the great teams we had, and all the success we had. It was always fun, especially game day. I had the fortune of playing behind a lot of good blockers.”

There is a special connection, a team bonding that is at the very heart of successful programs. It’s also something that cannot be replicated, a feeling that will be missed.

“The camaraderie, you’ll never get that back,” Sullivan said. “Guys from all walks of life getting together for six days a week; that’s the most hurtful part of leaving the game. You just can’t get that back.”

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TURNING HURDLES INTO MILESTONES

By Larry Scott

In many ways, he was a most unlikely candidate for empire-building. A few cheeseburgers shy of 128 pounds as a senior at tiny Halstad High School, Terry Harrington was largely a recruiting afterthought for most college track coaches, but he found a home at Minnesota State University Moorhead, a satisfying stay that generated a batch of memories and spawned a remarkable professional career.

A 2000 inductee into the Dragon Hall of Fame, Harrington recently retired after nearly 40 years teaching and coaching at Fergus Falls High School. He filled both track and cross-country coaching roles for the Otters, relying on some of the lessons he learned early on at Moorhead State to build character and champions.

It’s a swell story for sure, but his rewarding track career almost never got off the ground. Raised near Hillsboro, ND, Harrington spent much of his time on the 240-acre family farm on the west side of the Red River, and his options as a lad were limited. “It was mostly (about) farming; there wasn’t anything else,” he remembers.

When Harrington reached high school, however, new opportunities surfaced and sports held a special appeal for him, despite his slender frame. “In high school, I played basketball and went out for football my senior year. I scored three touchdowns and an extra point, and then I broke my arm in practice the next Monday.”

“I still had the cast on all the way through basketball season,” Harrington remembers. “I got it off on a Wednesday before our first track meet at Mahnomen on Friday, but I broke my arm again when I landed in the hard sand in the high jump. At least I had one day without a cast.”

Despite the cumbersome cast, Harrington’s hurdling career began to take full flight, and he climbed to second on the individual prep hurdle rankings. He also qualified for the Minnesota State High School Championships in St. Paul. His hopes of a first place finish slipped away, however, and while he was disappointed he was far from discouraged. It only motivated him more.

“I never lost until the finals of the state meet at Macalester and was tied for second best in the state, but there were all those bright lights, and maybe there was still a lot of North Dakota farm boy in me.”

Despite his banner senior year, Harrington wasn’t sure about his next move.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to college, but a few coaches still came around and I thought that was remarkable,” Harrington said. “UND was going to give me a scholarship, but they told me I was too small to run the hurdles.”

Harrington had a few doubts of his own as well.

“I had a teacher and counselor who told me ‘you’ll never make it.’ I’m not sure if he was just trying to scare me, but it worked, and for the first two years (at MSC)

I studied very hard. I saw a lot of guys who were smarter than me, but they played cards all the time and by spring quarter they were gone.”

Harrington may have wondered if he really belonged at college, but head coach Al Holmes was patiently building a quality program at Moorhead State and needed some hurdle help. Holmes was sure Harrington was ready. “The stopwatch doesn’t lie,” Holmes said.

“Holmes was really impressive, very nice, and I enjoyed him a lot,” said Harrington. “I came in not knowing a whole bunch, and he spent a lot of time helping me. Al and his assistant, Marv Fink, had a lot of knowledge, talked confidently and sold me. He brought in guys like Larron Swanson, Ron Monsegue, Tony Jones, Clint Chamberlin, Bob Brophy, Ken Nygaard, Dick Kimball and others.”

The coaching baton was passed from Holmes to Ron Masanz in 1968, and the intensity level took a sizable spike for Harrington and his pals.

“Ron was a tremendous motivator, and that hasn’t changed at all. You couldn’t outwork him, and he’s probably the best thing that ever happened to the university even after he retired. He still keeps everybody’s feet to the fire.”

Harrington knew he was part of something very special, building a rock solid foundation that would last well into the next century, but the Dragons’ first Northern Intercollegiate Conference championship would have to wait until after his hurdling career was over.

“We did very, very well, but we just didn’t have enough depth.”

Harrington faced some major challenges when he arrived on the collegiate hurdling scene.

“There were two big adjustments. First, the hurdles are three inches higher, and I’m a little height-challenged vertically, and second, in high school, you’re not used to having somebody come up on you. I was a great starter, fast out of the blocks, so I really never saw anybody. It’s hard to run and keep your focus with somebody right next to you.”

Harrington will never forget his first collegiate meet, a special invitational at Winnipeg, Manitoba that attracted some of the world’s top athletes, especially in the hurdles. Among the select were Olympic champion and world recordholder Willie Davenport of Southern (LA) University.

“There were about 8,000 people there but it seemed like a 100,000 to me,” said Harrington. “You had to qualify all day for the finals at night, and they only let one person get in. They had already seeded (the field), including Davenport, another hurdler from Southern who was a runnerup to Davenport at nationals, a guy out of Yankton, SD who was second in the Olympic trials, and the Canadian champion. Oh, and me.

“It was the first event of the night, and after they played ‘God Save the Queen’ they sent us out into the spotlight to get into our blocks. I looked around and there was Willie with his nice uniform, with patches on from all over the world, and I had on a faded pink uniform with about a hundred stitches. Oh, I finished fifth out of five, but I ran against Willie several times in the future, and we got to be good friends.”

Harrington qualified for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Indoor and Outdoor Championships and placed seventh in the 120-yard high hurdles at the 1969 NAIA Outdoor. He was elected captain of the Dragons as a senior in 1969 and was saluted as the Most Valuable Track athlete. He was also honored as the Outstanding Senior Athlete at Moorhead State in 1968-69.

Harrington graduated in 1969 and accepted a graduate assistantship at Moorhead State the next year. Uncle Sam was interested in Harrington as well, and the following summer he was drafted.

“I went to Fort Lewis, Washington, and Fort Gordon, Georgia. We had 200 people in our company (at Fort Gordon), and all but 11 went to Vietnam. They put me in the MPs, and I ended up at West Point for two years.”

It was a stroke of good luck for Harrington, and it also introduced him to a larger sporting state.

“It was a great place, and they had every NCAA event imaginable. We watched national championships in a lot of different sports that we didn’t know existed back then, like lacrosse, rugby, fencing and swimming. I also got to run in a few track meets.”

After completing his military obligation, he applied for the only fulltime job he would ever hold.

“Denny Anderson was just named the head basketball coach at Moorhead State, and he told me there was a track coaching opportunity back at Fergus Falls. I applied for the job and got it. It was the only job I ever applied for.”

During his run at Fergus Falls, Harrington developed a lot of talented athletes, including hurdling whiz David Knutson, a four-year letterman at the University of Wisconsin, Jon Pontius, a dominant force in the high jump, long jumper and triple jump at United States Military Academy at West Point, and distance specialist Eric Loeffler, who placed 28^th at the 2010 New York City Marathon.

He worked with student-athletes with a wide range of talent and dedication, including those of limited skills who over-achieved and those who parlayed natural talents into something special. “I enjoyed working with both types. You can’t hold it against kids who are gifted, but the question is how are you going to use that gift?”

As always, Harrington was there to help them find a way.