The Dennis J. Sullivan award shall be presented to the player who most embodies the qualities of hard play, fairness, leadership, and dedication to the Club and the game demonstrated by the late Dennis Sullivan. More than any other player in the Club’s history Dennis Sullivan exemplified the true spirit of Charles River Rugby. An intense and dedicated player on the field, Sully was also a team player off the field. His personality, his love of the game, and spirit are lasting memories for those who played beside him and should serve as an inspiration for all Club members. The Dennis J. Sullivan Award was inaugurated at the 1982 Awards Banquet to recognize the player who best exemplifies the qualities exhibited by the late Dennis Sullivan: team spirit, dedication, and love of the sport.

Teammate Testimony regarding Dennis Sullivan:
“Dennis Sullivan was a model for Charles River Rugby. He played #8 with skill, desire and toughness at a time when the Rats were a new team at the very beginning of our push into first-division play. Dennis was an absolute leader in every respect, utterly fearless and eager to mix it up and triumph against the big boys of New England rugby. His commitment to rugby and the Rats was absolute. He once left in the middle of a wedding reception, played the A game, washed off in a puddle, threw the tux back on and zipped back to the reception--his spouse was not overjoyed but here was a rugger who had his priorities arranged properly. He was at the beginning of his legal career and had a new baby when a tragic accident took him away. The reason this award is named for him is not just because of the ways we lost him, but really because his toughness, commitment and passion for the game epitomizes what the Charles River Rats are all about.”