(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo/Beaver County Radio Files)

“It’s more than just football, it’s a preparation for life that continues on…and Coach Sullivan was a mentor to me.”

Geneva College has had two head football coaches since 1976. The current coach–Geno DeMarco, now in his 30th season–joined Matt Drzik on the September 14 edition of A.M. Beaver County to pay tribute to his predecessor, former head coach and Geneva athletic director Gene Sullivan. News of Sullivan’s passing was revealed on Friday.

DeMarco said that though Sullivan was a dedicated “student of the game”, he did not prioritize football for himself or his student athletes. “It was always the Lord first,” DeMarco said, “and it was our families second, it was what we were studying third, and then football fourth. He really lived out his life and those types of priorities.” Sullivan was DeMarco’s coach from 1981-83, and even after DeMarco took over as head coach in 1993, Sullivan still participated on the staff as an assistant until 2013.

“He was able to teach these kids how to become men up front,” DeMarco added, “and I saw a true football coach come out of him at that time. He was very intense with those guys.” Along having an intense desire and attention to detail for football, Coach Sullivan also made sure his players were able to care for each other. “In his first meeting, he’d tell all of us that he loved us and that we needed to tell each other that,” DeMarco recalled. “You just don’t picture that in a football team, but that’s who we are.”

Geneva has not yet announced formal plans to honor and recognize Sullivan, but DeMarco says discussions will take place. The weight room on the College Hill campus is named in Sullivan’s honor, but as Coach DeMarco said: “His mark has been left all over College Hill.”

To listen to the full interview with Coach Geno DeMarco about former Coach Gene Sullivan, click on the play button below.