It's More Than a Game to Steve THAD WILLIAMSON 10/09/2003 Thousands of Carolina fans were left disheartened by the most recent showing on the gridiron, but at least one fan left Kenan Stadium Saturday with greater resolve and belief than ever that John Bunting is the man for the job and will get things turned around. That fan's name is Steve Sullivan. It hasn't been the best of falls so far for John Bunting, as any visitor to this website is acutely aware. Five straight losses is enough to test the patience and faith of even the most passionate and dedicated coach. In fact, last Saturday at Kenan Stadium sounded to the out-of-town Tar Heel about as miserable as it gets, starting first and foremost with the tragic and senseless death of Stephen Gates, the talented reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network. On the field, Carolina again wasted a decent early effort and ended up getting waxed for yet another home loss. All in all, not a good day for Carolina football or t...

The steve sullivan story THE STEVE SULLIVAN STORY, PART ONE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED by UNCBASKETBALL.COM, FEBRUARY 2001 It obviously meant a great deal to Matt Doherty when Brendan Haywood's late basket lifted North Carolina to a riveting 70-69 win over Wake Forest on January 6th. Doherty's post game tears of joy and participation in the mid court celebration instantly became one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Smith Center. But as much as that game meant to Doherty, it probably meant even more to Steven Sullivan of Columbia, South Carolina. Sullivan and his wife Wanda were in the stands that Saturday night-attending Sullivan's first game in Chapel Hill since he suffered a massive kidney failure in the early 1980's, failure which left him unable to walk until he received a life saving transplant. Sullivan had been a 275 pound high school noseguard who dreamed of walking on to play football at his favorite school, North Carolina ( as a walk on ), u...