Researchers hoping to visit UK Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center next year may be eligible for fellowship funds to cover their domestic travel expenses.
The Claude Sullivan Research Fellowship is open to researchers whose work would benefit from onsite access to archival materials housed in UK Libraries’ collections. The Fellowship supports research in the following subjects, ranked in priority order:
Fellows will be reimbursed up to $2,500 for domestic travel.
The Claude Sullivan Research Fellowship honors legendary sportscaster, Claude H. Sullivan (1924-1967). One of the first voices of the UK men’s basketball program, Sullivan was a nationally-recognized sportscasting pioneer.
His career followed UK’s rise to prominence as he announced the Cats’ first four NCAA championship titles under Coach Adolph Rupp and covered scrimmages during the canceled 1952–1953 season following the NCAA sanctions scandal. Sullivan also revolutionized the coverage of the UK football program with the introduction of a coach’s show with Bear Bryant – a national first that gained significant attention and later became a staple at institutions across the country. Sullivan’s reputation in Kentucky eventually propelled him to Cincinnati, where he became the voice of the Reds, and even to the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome.
Sullivan organized the Standard Oil Sports Network in 1951, which included more than twenty stations carrying football and basketball broadcasts originating in thirty- seven states. He was named "Kentucky's Outstanding Broadcaster" by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters from 1959 to 1966 and received the "Golden Mike" award from the Kentucky Broadcaster's Award in 1967.
Researchers, writers, and creators working in the fields of sports history and culture will find outstanding resources at UK Libraries, home to the Big Blue Sports Archive, one of the finest athletics collections in the United States. The archive contains thousands of news clippings, programs, photographs, basketball and football game films and tapes, and radio and television broadcasts of UK athletic events, including Sullivan’s.
Together, the Claude Sullivan Audio Recordings Collection and the Claude Sullivan Collection of Athletic Publications contain hundreds of reel-to-reel tapes and radio scripts that preserve Sullivan’s career in sports radio and make available a critical era in sports history and Kentucky culture.
Below, find instructions on how to apply for a Claude Sullivan Research Fellowship. Please direct all questions to Associate Dean for Research & Discovery Deirdre Scaggs at deirdre@uky.edu.
Plan to submit:
Selection will be based on the clarity, originality, and significance of the research proposal and its alignment with the award purpose.
Please send all application materials to Deirdre Scaggs at deirdre@uky.edu by January 13, 2025.
