The Cavalier daily :: Tuesday, November 14, 1972 :: University of Virginia Library

Well, it's finally happened.
Dave Sullivan, who has had so
many outstanding games this
season, has earned the Cavalier
Daily Player of the Week award
with only one game left on the
schedule.

There aren't enough fingers
on one hand to count the
number of times that a strong
argument could have been
made for Sully's selection in
past weeks. Beginning with the
South Carolina game, the
fourth-year wide receiver has
sparkled nearly every Saturday.

Records are made to be
broken, and Sullivan has been
pretty destructive this season.
With one game left in the
season and his career, "Silky"
has smashed records for career
receptions and yardage, tied
the career touchdown record
for receivers, and has now
begun an onslaught against a
series of standards for single
season receiving.

Against North Carolina,
Sully snared seven passes for
82 yards, giving him season
totals of 49 and 634 in the
reception and yardage
categories. This Saturday at
Wake Forest, his first grab will
break Bill Davis' receiving
record, and 13 more yards will
enable him to eclipse Sonny
Randle's season yardage mark,
set in 1958.

If anyone is still not
convinced that Sullivan is the
all-time top Wahoo receiver,
then consider the fact that he
has faced a wide variety of
secondary coverage designed to
stop him. It has become
apparent as the season goes by
that "Silky" is the key to the
Wahoo passing game, which is,
in turn, the key to the entire
offense. Stop Sullivan, and you
stop Virginia.

Until the emergence of
Chuck Belic as a major threat
in recent games, Sully had to
carry almost all of the receiving
load. He was always covered by
the opposition's best defender,
and often he forced opposing
secondaries to assign two men
to his side of the field.

Sullivan is one of the few
receivers who, besides
possessing good speed,
excellent moves, and great
hands, always seems to know
where he is on the field and
where his defenders are at any
moment. Often he will drag a
foot to stay inbounds or cut in
front of a defender to break up
a possible interception.

Speaking of interceptions,
Wahoo quarterbacks have
thrown 32 of them this season,
which is far and away a school
record. This statistic indicates
inaccurate passing. Although
Sullivan is usually open, the
ball often comes to him high,
low, ahead, behind, and
sometimes the ball never comes
at all. His 49 receptions look
more impressive all the time.

"Silky" will make his final
varsity appearance Saturday,
and everyone knows that he
would love to go out in a blaze
of glory. Watch for Sullivan to
play one of the finest games of
his career. Undoubtedly, Wake
will give him tight coverage,
but the speedster has done the
job before, and will do it again.

Besides assuring himself a
berth on the All-ACC team,
Sully is definitely one of the
favorites for the Wahoo Player
of the Year, and has an outside
chance to make some
All-American squads. All these
honors would be well-deserved
by the gutsy little fellow who
has sparked the Wahoos all
season.