An outstanding catcher, Sullivan was invited four times to Busch Stadium for Major League Baseball tryouts. During one of the tryouts, he hit a home run off Dave Ricketts of the St. Louis Cardinals. Sullivan attracted the attention of 22 Major League Scouts, including Cardinals’ scout Fred McAlister, and legendary scout Joe Mathes. Sullivan had a career batting average of .350. One season, Sullivan hit .415. He never missed a start behind the plate, and twice he caught three games in a single day.

Sullivan played for Roosevelt High School in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was an all-star catcher for Harris Teachers College from 1972-76, and played in the Harris Teachers Summer League in 1972-73. He was named All-District and All-Region. Sullivan also received honorable mention as an All-American. He caught for the Clark Funeral Home team in 1975 and 1976. He was the head baseball coach at Harris Stowe for 10 years. He currently operates St. Louis Baseball Academy located in South St. Louis County. Since 1998, the Academy has provided training and baseball camps featuring former Major League and minor league players and instructors.