| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1967-01-28)January 28, 1967 (age 58) Santa Maria, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cabrillo (CA) |
| College | Army |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| |
Operations | |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Mike Sullivan (born January 28, 1967) is an Americanfootball coach who was most recently the senior offensive assistant for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL).
Sullivan grew up mostly in Southern California and graduated from Cabrillo H.S. in Lompoc, CA in 1985. He then attended the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY where he was a two-year letterman in football as a defensive back, and graduated in 1989.[1] He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer upon graduation, later attending theArmy Airborne,Ranger, andAir Assault Schools before serving in the25th Infantry Division.[2]
Sullivan served as the Giants' quarterbacks coach where his coaching was cited as a major reason forEli Manning's success in his early seasons. He was the main reason for Eli Manning's historic 2010 season. Manning set franchise records with 339 completions and a 62.9 completion percentage, as well as his second season with over 4,000 yards, but also threw a then career-high 25 interceptions.
He remained on the staff as the quarterbacks coach in 2011, coaching Eli Manning to perhaps his greatest statistical season. Manning threw for a career-high 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns with 16 interceptions, and had a completion percentage of over 60% for the fourth year in a row with Mike Sullivan as his position coach. The Giants would go on to winSuper Bowl XLVI against theNew England Patriots 21–17, with Eli Manning being namedSuper Bowl MVP under Sullivan's coaching.
On February 10, 2012, Sullivan was hired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator. On December 31, 2012, NFL.com reported that Sullivan will be interviewed by theChicago Bears for the head coaching position afterLovie Smith was fired.[3] On December 30, 2013, Sullivan was fired along with the rest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff after two unsuccessful seasons.[4]
On December 31, 2014, Sullivan was re-hired as the Giants quarterback coach, reuniting with his former team and quarterback, Eli Manning.[5] Sullivan replacedDanny Langsdorf, who left to take the offensive coordinator job atNebraska.
On January 14, 2016, Sullivan was promoted to offensive coordinator with the departure of former Giants head coachTom Coughlin, and the hiring of former offensive coordinatorBen McAdoo.[6]
On January 4, 2018, Sullivan was named as the quarterbacks coach of theDenver Broncos, taking over for interim QB coachKlint Kubiak.[7] Following the end of the Broncos season, he was not retained by newly-hired head coachVic Fangio.[8]
On February 4, 2021, Sullivan was hired by the Steelers as quarterbacks coach.[9] After the firing of offensive coordinatorMatt Canada on November 21, 2023, Sullivan was designated as the team's primary play-caller for the remainder of the season, with running backs coachEddie Faulkner taking over as interim offensive coordinator.[10]
As of April 2025 Sullivan is no longer listed on the officialSteelers website as part of the coaching staff.
On March 19, 2020, Sullivan returned to West Point as the football team's Director of Recruiting.[11]
Sullivan is a purple belt inBrazilian Jiu Jitsu. He also graduated fromU.S. Army Ranger School. He is a 1989 graduate of theUnited States Military Academy and classmate ofGregory D. Gadson.[12]