By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
Charlie Sullivan in his time on Alden Street has become one of the most recognizable figures on the Springfield College campus. A soccer player for the Pride back in the day, Sullivan graduated from Springfield College with a bachelor’s in business management in 1991 and a masters in Physical Education in 1997. Sullivan is in his 26th season as head coach for the Pride, and has one of the most impressive resumes for any coach on campus and in the country, including 11 national championships, a combined record of 511-194 record, and served as the head coach for the U.S. Boys U19 team, leading them to a fourth place finish at the FIVB world championship in 2021. Sullivan also serves as a teacher at Springfield as a professor of physical education.
The Student: What is the number one thing on your bucket list?
Sullivan: I don’t know, I’ve done a lot of cool things. Hard to think of. Maybe when I retire to live in Italy. My first four years out of Springfield I taught at an international school there [Marymount International School in Rome]. I really enjoyed the culture, food and history.
The Student: What do you do in your free time?
Sullivan: I love to play golf with friends [and] spend time with family. Watching the kids [and] their big events is always great.
The Student: What is something that makes you smile without fail?
Sullivan: I just like positive people [and] positive energy. I think joking around but also being professional in volleyball is important for me. But just positive people with positive energy is whom I’m attracted to for sure.
The Student: How do you want to be remembered and why?
Sullivan: Kind person who was positive [with] good energy. [Also someone] who had good strategy and enjoyed life.
The Student: If you could have dinner with one person in history, who would it be?
Sullivan: I’m [also] attracted to really intelligent people. I think someone who did amazing stuff, like Michelangelo. He built the Vatican thousands of years ago with no crane or anything like that. It’s amazing.
The Student: What’s your favorite part of campus?
Sullivan: The community, for sure. I really respect people who make the community stronger and more positive, more supportive [and] more humanic. It’s always fun to be around people like that.
The Student: What is your favorite part about being a member of the Springfield College community?
Sullivan: I think the history of teacher coaches who have gone through and been pioneers [and] leaders in their field who have embraced this tradition of excellence we have at Springfield College. For a small school to have birth rights in multiple sports, it’s incredible. Also being a serving leader humanity to others is an amazing thing that’s very unique about Springfield College. So to be able to live up to that is really important.