The first in a series profiling the 2023 inductees for the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Steve Sullivan’s journey to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame began in the summer of 1977 when he purchased part ownership of a greyhound racing dog named Keentwister in his home state of Massachusetts.
A recent high school graduate, Sullivan was looking for a college with a good — and inexpensive — radio and television broadcasting program.
As a new greyhound owner anxious to get a nice return on his $400 investment, Sullivan also was looking for a college near a dog-racing track.
“Buying a racing dog sounded like a great idea and a chance to make more money for college,” Sullivan, a long-time television broadcaster in Little Rock, said during one of his recent morning walks. “I don’t mind taking chances, so I said, ‘Why not?’ ” Sullivan chose Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, 60 miles from West Memphis, which had Southland Racing Track for greyhounds.
“A-State had a pretty good reputation for radio and TV, it was cheap, and it was close to the dog track in West Memphis,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan, born and raised in Framingham, Mass., 20 miles west of Boston, never had been outside of the New England area when he enrolled at ASU.
“I came to Jonesboro sight unseen,” he said. “It was like a new world to me.
“But I met some good people who had similar interests, and the radio and TV was a really good program. It was a smooth adjustment for me.” After Keentwister had her lone victory at Seabrook Greyhound Park in New Hampshire before being purchased by Sullivan and his friend, trainer Jay Kopas, she was retired from racing to become a breeding dog.
“We couldn’t afford to pay for a stud dog to breed her with, so we gave her to a priest who had some greyhounds,” Sullivan said. “I’m sure he took good care of her and the puppies.” While Keentwister never made it to Arkansas, Sullivan hasn’t left since enrolling at ASU 45 years ago.
Sullivan’s broadcasting career, highlighted by stints as sports director at Little Rock television stations KARK and KATV, will be celebrated with his induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on April 14 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Sullivan, 63, has been at KATV since 1999 after a 12-year tenure at KARK.
“Sully is a national level broadcaster,” said David Bazzel, the former University of Arkansas linebacker and a 2014 Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee who does segments with Sullivan on KATV and previously worked with him at KARK. “He could be in any market in the country.
“Sully could be in Bristol, Connecticut, working for ESPN. He could be in New York or Boston. He’s that good.
“But he’s chosen to stay here in Arkansas, and we’re very, very fortunate to have him stay here, because his skill set is national market size.” Sullivan said he turned down some chances to leave Arkansas.
“There’s something about a gut feeling, knowing you’re at the right place,” he said. “The longer you’re in an area, the more ties you have and relationships you build.
“My whole professional life has been in Arkansas, and I’ve always had fun doing my job. I have no regrets.” Photo journalist Tony Ranchino has worked with Sullivan at KATV since 2000.
“Steve’s just so real,” Ranchino said. “The guy you see on TV — with his energy and how open and friendly he is — that’s how he always is.” Sullivan has become one of the most recognizable faces in Arkansas because of his television work, but it was fortuitous he began his broadcasting career as an anonymous radio voice.
In Sullivan’s first job after graduating from ASU, he worked from 4 a.m. to noon doing sports and news reports at KFBW-FM in Fort Smith. He did the morning reports live, then recorded the afternoon reports on an 8-track tape.
“I taped five reports, but if you did the first four right and messed up the fifth one, you had to go back and erase everything and record it all over again,” he said. “This one day I did the first four fine, but messed up the fifth one, and I said the worst possible four-letter word you can say.
“I seldom swear, even today, but I had something planned that afternoon and I was going to be late for that, and I said that bad word over and over again — about 12 times.
“I was going back to re-tape everything, and the guy coming in behind me to work the afternoon shift said, ‘No, don’t do all that. I’ll only play the first four, and I’ll do the fifth one live for you.’ “But then he forgot all about it and played the tape with the bad word I said over and over.” The next day Sullivan met with station owner Bob Hernreich, a wealthy businessman who later became a part owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
“This was the first time I’d met the owner,” Sullivan said. “I walked into his office and the first thing he said to me was, ‘You know you can’t say the F-word on radio.’ “Then his message to me was, ‘While you thought what you did was a very important job, about 40 people called in to complain, but none of them mentioned you by your name. You were just a voice giving the news.’ ” Rather than fire Sullivan, Hernreich made him a television reporter and weekend sports anchor on KFBS.
“I’d been there six months, and I didn’t know he even knew me, but I think he kind of liked me,” Sullivan said. “I was fortunate to have an owner like that. He was a big-picture guy rather than worrying about a bad word you said that got on the air.” Sullivan has been voted Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year five times by the National Sports Media Association and won The Associated Press Best Sportscast Award for Arkansas 13 times.
A member of the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, Sullivan’s promotion of high school sports — Friday night football in particular — resulted in the Arkansas Activities Association honoring him with its Distinguished Media Member Award.
“I’ve appreciated every honor I’ve received, and I certainly never anticipated I’d be going into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame,” Sullivan said. “It’s very humbling.” Sullivan is among six children raised by Mike and Anne Sullivan, Irish immigrants who changed their name from O’Sullivan when they came to the United States.
The late Mike Sullivan was a factory worker who encouraged his son’s interest in broadcasting.
“We watched a local guy in Boston, Bob Lobel, who was at WBZ-TV,” Sullivan said. “My dad would say, ‘Why couldn’t you be like that guy? He looks like he has a lot of fun.’ ” Covering the Razorbacks draws the most attention, but Sullivan also has a segment called “Sully’s Little Heroes” in which he features youth teams.
“Sully will go out with his camera and check out a second-grade or third-grade team because he knows that’s a big deal for the families and those kids will never forget it,” Bazzel said. “He covers everything from the Razorbacks to peewee football or soccer.
“He’s very passionate about sports promotions for kids. He loves a good story. He’s always eager to seek that out.” Ranchino said he doesn’t know of many broadcasters as experienced as Sullivan who will grab a camera if a co-worker isn’t available and shoot his own footage for a story.
“Every day Steve’s still going like he’s a 20-year-old,” Ranchino said. “He’s something else.” Sullivan said he hasn’t spent much time wondering how his life might be different if not for the decision to spend part of his college savings on a greyhound racing dog.
“I’m a big believer in fate,” Sullivan said. “When you’re going through it, you don’t even think about it. You just do it and keep advancing.
“But when you look back at the whole thing, it’s kind of wild that it all worked out so well.”
Steve Sullivan at a glance
AGE 63 (born Sept. 22, 1959)
HOMETOWN Framingham, Mass.
COLLEGE Arkansas State University
POSITION Sports Director, KATV in Little Rock
FAMILY Wife Toni, daughters Kayla and Keely, two grandchildren
NOTEWORTHY Has worked in radio or television in Arkansas since graduating from ASU in 1982. … Worked 12 years at KARK in Little Rock, then went to KATV in 1999. … Has been voted Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year 5 times by the National Sports Media Association and won AP’s best Sportscast Award for Arkansas 13 times. … An inductee of the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. … Received the Distinguished Media Member Award from the Arkansas Activities Association.
At a glance
ARK. SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
WHEN 6:30 p.m. April 14
WHERE Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock
INDUCTEES Fred Allen, Glen Ray Hines Sr., Jeff King, Freddie Scott, Shekinna Stricklen, Steve Sullivan, Jimmy Walker, Larry Walton
Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee Steve Sullivan has spent his entire professional life in Arkansas. “There’s something about a gut feeling, knowing you’re at the right place,” he said. “The longer you’re in an area, the more ties you have and relationships you build.” (Photo courtesy Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame)