"Auburn is like so many of the venues in the Southeastern Conference," Sullivan said. "It gets awfully loud. People take their football with a passion. They cherish the games, and so when you get all that energy and enthusiasm going into the game, obviously as a player it rubs off on you."

That enthusiasm caused him to overthrow his first pass, but that is also what the Florida Gators will have to contend with when they visit Jordan Hare Stadium on Saturday. A good chunk of the state of Alabama will be watching, but Sullivan will have other things on his mind. He is currently the Assistant Head Coach for the UAB Blazers (3-3), and he is preparing to take on Rice on the road Saturday. Still, he looks back fondly at his days at Auburn.

Sullivan enjoyed great success at Auburn as a player and later, as a coach under Pat Dye. In most people's minds, the highlight is his Heisman Trophy, but Sullivan believes it's people, not trophies, that made his time at Auburn special.

"What you get out of athletics, when it's all said and done," he said, "it's not the awards, how many touchdown passes. It's the relationships that last for a lifetime."

At Auburn, "people are what make things special," he said, adding that he enjoyed the family atmosphere he felt as a Tiger. He knows the Heisman Trophy is not just his award.

"One of the special things that I remember is that I was able to go to the football office and share it with my teammates and coaches," he said.

Sullivan was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. The outpouring of support he received from current and former players, coaches, and friends helped him through his recovery.

"When I was sick, just having their support," Sullivan said. "All the ones that call back, and all the ones that call now and stay in touch, that's what you get out of athletics."

Most people don't try to make friends during the Iron Bowl - Auburn and Alabama's annual football game - but Sullivan put friendship before football.

"It was like two brothers that were out in the backyard fighting it out," Sullivan said of the Iron Bowl. But after the game, he made a point to meet up with Alabama running back Johnny Musso and go out. Bitter rivals on the field, good friends off of it.

"For those 3 1/2, 4 hours, we tried to beat each other's brains out," he said, "but after the game, we had that relationship."

When he was presented with the Heisman Trophy, Sullivan was told it would mark him for the rest of his life. That is true, considering he'll always be "Heisman Trophy Winner Pat Sullivan." But he prefers to remember the friends he has made and lives he has impacted. His desire to create positive relationships continues today as he coaches UAB.

Asked what he enjoys about his job, Sullivan said: "Seeing these young kids develop and grow, not only as players. That's part of it, but seeing them grow as people. Seeing them grow as students."

That's what makes him proud today.

Auburn fans were proud in 1971 when they watched Pat Sullivan grow up on the Plains in Jordan Hare Stadium.