His father Jim Cullivan was inducted in 1995 making them the first father and son to be accepted into the local Sports Hall of Fame.

Cullivan will be enshrined at the 6:30 p.m. April 1 Hall of Fame Banquet being held at the    Elks Lodge.

      CULLIVAN

Bill Cullivan played for his father at Henry County High School. Jim Cullivan described his son not as a "rah-rah" type but one that would "fasten the chin strap and get the job done type."

He played offensive and defensive end in high school despite weighing only 165 pounds.

He also played basketball for three seasons with Fred Patterson serving as his coach. He was named Mr. Basketball by HCHS students.

Cullivan didn’t earn a college scholarship out of high school but walked on at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

He was names as UTM’s best off-season worker and earned a scholarship. He played defensive end for the Pacers and left UT weighing more than 200 pounds.

The hard nosed dedication and strict work ethic followed Cullivan into his work as an educator and coach.

He held coaching jobs at Grove Junior High School, Henry County High School and Marion Military Institute, a junior college in Alabama.

He taught math and was a faculty sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletics chapter at NMI.

He was returning from a trip to watch the University of Alabama's spring drills when he died in an automobile accident.

As a coach, Cullivan has been described as a teacher of technique that set high goals for his players and his positive encouragement earned respect from his players.

Cullivan was praised by those who worked with him for organizational skills, his ability to communicate and his work ethic.