PITTSBURGH — Upon his arrival in Pittsburgh, the first detail that stuck out regarding new Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan was that he shares a name with the crosstown Penguins’ two-time Stanley Cup winning head coach.
Speaking with the media Tuesday, including Cale Berger of Steelers Now, Sullivan shared that he is a diehard fan of the team, and is hoping to meet the Penguins’ Sullivan soon.
“Let me go on record and say I’m a huge Pens fan,” Sullivan said. “And looking forward to great things for them in the future, and looking forward to at some point meeting the other Mike Sullivan.”
With the Penguins’ season ending prematurely earlier this month and the Steelers still having a couple weeks until training camp begins in earnest, the two should have no trouble finding time to link up this summer.
A 17-year coaching veteran at the NFL level, Sullivan was most recently the quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos in 2018. He also has previous offensive coordinator experience with the New York Giants (2016-17) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13). Sullivan won won Super Bowls XLII and XLVI with the Giants. Sullivan arrives in Pittsburgh after a year as the Director of Recruiting at his alma mater Army.
This is the first time the Sullivans’ paths have crossed. The Pens’ Sullivan has been in Pittsburgh since 2016. Before that, he was an assistant coach with Chicago Blackhawks in 2014-15, Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14, New York Rangers from 2009-13 and Tampa Bay Lighting in 2007-08. He was the head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003-06.