Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Dec. 18, 2024 - North Central College defensive tackle John Sullivan is one of six NCAA Division III finalists for the Cliff Harris Award, which annually recognizes the best defensive players at the NCAA Division II and Division III and NAIA levels. 

The winner of the 2024 Cliff Harris Award for NCAA Division III is selected by the staff at D3football.com. The writers and staff at D3football.com select the winner from the six Defensive Player of the Year honorees from all six regions. The winner will be announced during the D3football.com broadcast of the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, Jan. 5 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Sullivan earned his spot among the finalists by virtue of his selection as the Region 5 Defensive Player of the Year last week. The remaining finalists are defensive end Jacquez Mabin of Delaware Valley University (Pennsylvania), Washigton & Jefferson University (Pennsylvania) defensive tackle Dawson Dietz, Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) linebacker Charlie Patterson, University of Mount Union (Ohio) defensive end Rossy Moore and Bethel University (Minnesota) safety Matt Jung.

Sullivan is North Central's first regional Defensive Player of the Year award winner since 2013 and was the co-recipient of this year's College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Don Larson Defensive Player of the Year award. Sullivan recorded a career-high 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss, in Saturday's 27-3 quarterfinal victory over Springfield College (Massachusetts), and leads the Cardinals in tackles for loss (15.5) and quarterback sacks (6) this season while ranking second on the squad in tackles (60).

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (13-0) host No. 6-ranked Susquehanna University (Pennsylvania) Saturday in a national semifinal. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will feature an exclusive live video broadcast on ESPN+ and live audio broadcast from 89.1-FM WONC. 

COVERAGE NOTE: Beginning in 2024, all games from the first round through the semifinal round of the Division III Football Championship will be broadcast live exclusively on ESPN+. A subscription is required to view the broadcast. Visit plus.espn.com to learn about subscription options. 

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.