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THIS YEAR: If fully recovered from a groin injury, two-sport star Sultan McCullough has the potential to make a major impact for the Trojans in the sprints in 2002. He was a 100m All-American in 2000, the 1999 Pac-10 100m champ and also has rushed for nearly 2,000 career yards as a Trojan tailback. He is one of only two Trojans--O.J. Simpson is the other--who have earned All-American honors in the 100m in track and rushed for over 1,000 yards in football in the same year.
2001: McCullough ran in just three individual races as a junior, but they were all big ones, as he won the 100m at the UCLA dual in 10.28, then went on to the Pac-10s and ran a season-best 10.27 in the prelims and 10.33 to take second in the finals ... Also ran the anchor leg on USC's Pac-10 400m relay champion squad.
2000: Despite sitting out much of the season to participate in spring football and suffering a strained groin at the UCLA dual meet (which caused him to miss the Pac-10s), Sultan rebounded to win USC's 49th All-American honor (beginning in 1930) in the 100m dash at the NCAAs ... He equalled his PR with a 10.17 in the semifinals at the NCAAs, then came back to run a 10.38 in the finals--good for eighth-place ... Won the 100m at the UCLA dual meet in a time of 10.25, but later suffered a strained groin and was forced to pull up in the 200m ... Earlier in the season, he popped a 10.22 to win the 100m at the Centennial Invitational.
1999: Ran a 10.17 in his first race as a Trojan, setting a Cromwell Field record and USC freshman record in the process (it was also the world's top 100m time by a junior in 1999) ... Won the Pac-10 100m Championship in 10.18 ... Ran another 10.17 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships ... Strained his hamstring in the finals and was not able to finish.
USC FOOTBALL: McCullough got off to a quick start as a junior in 2001, rushing for 167 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener against San Jose State, but a groin injury suffered during training camp eventually cut his season short just one series into the fifth game ... McCullough still led the team in rushing for the second straight year with 410 yards ... As a redshirt sophomore in 2000, McCullough inherited the tailback duties from Chad Morton and responded in a big way, rushing for a team-leading (and second in the Pac-10) 1,163 yards (5.1 avg) and six touchdowns ... Became only the fifth sophomore in USC history to surpass 1000 yards ... Was named All-Pac-10 second-team ... As just a redshirt freshman, McCullough rushed for 413 yards and one touchdown in 1999 while serving as the main backup to Chad Morton ... His 48-yard run against UCLA was USC's longest of the season ... Redshirted in 1998.
HIGH SCHOOL: At perennial track powerhouse John Muir High in Pasadena, Calif., McCullough's best times were 10.41 in the 100m (10.24w for the best time in the state and second fastest in the nation in 1997), 20.61 in the 200m (tops in the nation in 1997) and 45.8 in the 400m ... Anchored the nation's fastest 400m relay (40.2) and 1,600m relay (1:08.2) squads in 1997 ... Was named a track All-American twice ... Led Muir to two national and California state track and field titles ... Advanced to the finals in the 100m at the 1997 California state meet (he was favored to win, but a pulled hamstring) ... As a tailback on the Muir football team, McCullough was named a 1997 Super Prep All-American as a senior after rushing for 2,145 yards and 27 touchdowns on 215 carries (10.0 avg.) ... Once rushed for 317 yards and five scores on just nine carries (35.2 avg.) in one game.
PERSONAL: Sultan was born on Feb. 12, 1980 ... He is a sociology major at USC ... Sultan's brother, Saladin, was a tailback at Oregon in 1996 and 1997 ... His father, Bruce, ran track at San Jose State in the early 1960s.
CAREER BESTS: 100m - 10.17; 200m - 20.89.
