Jim Sullivan (Australian footballer)
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| Jim Sullivan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Sullivan | ||
| Nickname | Sleepy | ||
| Born | 1942 (age 83–84) | ||
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Centreman | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1961–1964 | Carlton (VFL reserves) | 17 (25) | |
| 1962–1964 | Coburg (VFA) | 86 (53)[a] | |
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
James Sullivan (born 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).[3] He is a member of Coburg's hall of fame, and the club's best and fairest award − the Jim Sullivan Medal − is named after him.[4][5]
Sullivan first came to prominence when he won the Gillon Medal (best and fairest medal) in the VFA under-19s while playing for Coburg in 1960.[1] He joined the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) the following year, where he finished equal second in the VFL under-19s best-and-fairest.[6][7]
In 1962, Sullivan was promoted to Carlton's reserves list, although he had played at least five reserves games in 1961.[6][8] He played two games in the 1963 Night Series Cup, including a semi-final loss to Footscray where he kicked one goal.[9] He moved to North Melbourne in May 1964 in an attempt to get on their senior list, but it didn't happen as he "was a relaxed character who wouldn't let the game rule his life".[1][6]
Sullivan returned to Coburg in 1965 where he made his senior debut for the club.[3] He won the J. J. Liston Trophy in 1967 as the best and fairest player in Division 1, polling 38 votes.[10][11][12]
Following the end of the 1967 VFA season, Sullivan was recruited by Claremont Football Club and moved to Perth to play in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL).[6] However, after only one season, he returned to Coburg for the 1969 VFA season.[13]
By 1969, Coburg had been relegated from Division 1. Sullivan amassed 54 kicks in a match that season (the second-highest recorded in senior football competition and the highest in the VFA) and he later won the Division 2 best and fairest, the J. Field Medal.[14][15] He then played in Coburg's 1970 Division 2 grand final victory over Box Hill.[1][16]
Sullivan played around 90 VFA games, although Coburg notes that "strangely" he never won a senior award at the club.[1] He later moved to Reservoir Lakeside in the Diamond Valley Football League (DVFL), before injury forced him into retirement in 1973.[6]
