Sullivan will be inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame in April

Philadelphia, Pa. – The Fourth Annual Dan Sullivan Wheelchair Basketball Classic will tip off 10 a.m. on February 26 at Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford, N.J.  This year’s Classic is significant because it celebrates Sullivan’s 40 years of contributions to wheelchair sports. In a brief ceremony during the tournament, Sullivan will be inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Hall of Fame.

The tournament, which is free to the public, features four teams: Shenondoah High Rollers, Temple Rollin’ Owls, Delaware Destroyers, and the Magee Sixers Spokesmen, a squad sponsored by Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sullivan began his wheelchair basketball career in 1963 playing for the Abilities Islanders, a newly created team at Abilities Inc.  At this work center for people with disabilities on Long Island, New York Dan obtained his first full-time job after attending Nassau Community College.

Dan played for the Abilities and EPVA teams throughout the 60's achieving some prominence by being selected to compete on two international teams, the gold medal winning 1965 USA Paralympic team in London, England and the 1967 Pan American  USA team  in Manitoba, Canada.

In 1969 Dan helped the establishment of and played for the Hofstra Rolling Dutchmen wheelchair basketball team at his alma mater, Hofstra University.  It was here that Dan attended college at night and obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Business and Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.

While still working in a counseling role at Abilities, then called the Human Resources center, Dan saw the opportunity to help young athletes develop the skills and discipline to participate in wheelchair sports by creating the first wheelchair basketball team on the East Coast for junior and senior high school age youth.  Dan coached the Human Resources Youngblood for seven years and saw many of these young people grow and mature into successful college students, professionals and family members and pursue their sports interests on an adult level.

When Dan moved to Philadelphia in 1977, he co- founded the Delaware Valley Wheelchair Athletic Association which sponsors both a wheelchair basketball and a wheelchair track and field team both called the Philadelphia Spokesmen.  Dan played and coached the Philadelphia for several years. He was President and then Treasurer of the DVWAA Association for over 15 years. The team still exists as the Magee Sixers Spokesmen, sponsored by Magee Rehabilitation where Dan has been working for the past 24 years.  At Magee, Dan is Executive Director of hireAbility, an employment agency for people with disabilities which he founded.   Dan played an instrumental role in enlisting the Philadelphia 76ers to partner with Magee in supporting, promoting and giving community recognition to the skills and capabilities of athletes with disabilities.

Dan has contributed greatly to the development of wheelchair basketball in our entire region.  Dan has been President of both the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic Wheelchair Basketball and was the Mid-Athletic Conference Commissioner from 1983 through 2002.  He was also Co-Director of the 1995 National Wheelchair Basketball Final Four which was held in the famed Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1988 Dan was elected to the Wheelchair Sports USA Hall of Fame.