In the world of sports memorabilia many collectors have managed to secure a few rare pieces. Mike Sullivan puts them all to shame. The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s director of Sports and Entertainment, Sullivan can be credited with helping the City execute some of its most popular and well respected events including the annual Florida-Georgia clash, the Gator Bowl at Alltel Stadium, this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament and various Arena attractions.
For his role in bringing those events and many others to town, Sullivan has gotten his hands on many rare mementos, including autographed balls, limited edition prints and other hard to find sports-related collectables.
“I guess if you had to describe my office, the sporting aspect of it is probably going to be the first thing that comes to mind,” Sullivan said of his 14th floor office in the City Hall Annex on East Bay Street. “But, with all that you see here, I’ve got plenty more at home.”
So much more, in fact, that when Sullivan purchased a new house a while back, the the first valuable item he could think of to have insured was that extended collection.
“I still don’t know what it’s worth, but when I started describing some of the things I have, they went ahead and insured it for $100,000,” he said. “That sounds good
to me.”
–J. Brooks Terry