By TEDDY ALLEN/Designated Writers

For a lot of reasons to be explained in a minute, this is such a tardy “thank you” to a boyhood hero who passed away December 1 due to cancer complications.

With the way the world is now, March 18, two weeks ago today, seems like more than a year. So December 1 is way back there.

When I was a boy in South Carolina in the 1960s and early ’70s, unlike the rest of my family who rooted hard for the Gamecocks, I always waffled between South Carolina and Clemson, mainly because BB Elvington grew up in the big white house on the way into town and started for three years at defensive tackle for the Tigers. He and Cricket Cox, another fair athlete, were idolized by the other boys in my little town. BB’s picture was once in The State, the newspaper we got on Sundays from Columbia, blocking a punt against Wake Forest or Appalachian State. Can still see it. Laid out waist high, parallel to the turf.

Loved BB.

But there was this other guy who’d I’d never met and who I’d never meet but who I loved, and it was neat to find out later in life that he was as he appeared, a humble hero.

Pat Sullivan.

Pat Sullivan played quarterback for Auburn, won the Heisman in 1971, was All-America in 1970 and 1971, was named the Player of the Year in the SEC both seasons, and broke more school and NCAA passing records than you can shake a Bo Jackson at.

Stud.

And I don’t know what it was. Maybe the mesh jerseys. Remember the mesh jerseys? So beautiful. The eye black. Maybe that he wore No. 7. Maybe it was the fact that the guy who caught all his passes was a red-haired white kid with the All-American name of Terry Beasley.

I don’t know what it was but something about Pat Sullivan made the 10-year-old in me want a mesh jersey and eye black and my own personal Opie Taylor-looking kid to spin leather darts at.

A couple of other factoids, these from Lyn Scarbrough of Lindy’s Magazine and Lindyssports.com, a friend of Pat Sullivan’s; it was good to hear from him that Pat Sullivan was a humble and kind man, deflecting praise and as good a friend as anyone could have.

“Sullivan-to-Beasley” would become a household term, at least for half the state, for it meant the quarterback had found receiver Terry Beasley running free again.

1971 was perhaps the most memorable year for Sullivan, highlighted by his performance against longtime rival Georgia.

Auburn was ranked No. 6 and Georgia No. 7 when the two teams met that November, according to the AuburnTigers.com. Never before in the history of the Southeastern Conference had undefeated teams met so late in the season, AuburnTigers.com said.

Sullivan threw for 248 yards and four touchdowns to beat Georgia. A few weeks, later he won the Heisman.

Sullivan’s favorite target was receiver Terry Beasley. Beasley holds the school’s career mark for receiving touchdowns (29) and yardage (2,507) and Sullivan holds the top mark for touchdown passes with 53, AuburnTigers.com said. “Sullivan to Beasley” became a favored phrase among Auburn fans.

Sullivan and Beasley’s uniform numbers, 7 and 88, along with Jackson’s No. 34, are the only three Auburn jerseys to be retired.

Again, studly.

So I have known the Designated Writers co-founder for 40 years; never have we discussed Pat Sullivan. Until Tuesday.

I was working in one ear and listening in the other to SportsTalk on 1130 AM The Tiger, their weekdays 5-6 pm radio show, when co-founder JJ started talking about how Sullivan was “my boy” when he was a kid. What? His thoughts were the same as mine: mesh jerseys, something about “Aubrin,” the iconic photo (pictured up top) of Sullivan and Beasley, and on like that.

And that reminded me: I’d started a Pat Sullivan column for DW in December. I looked back, and there was part of it. And here is the rest of it.

They used to make little helmet lamps. Maybe they still do. The helmet sat on your nightstand and the lamp came up out of it. I wanted the one that was an Auburn lamp, even cut a picture out of a magazine. But in a household of Gamecock and “Climpson” people, it was too risky for a kid to pull off. But that’s what Pat Sullivan was for me those couple of years: a light.

He died those four months ago, one day after Auburn upset archrival Alabama in the Iron Bowl, 48-45.

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