By T.J. Bartels

            The Equalizer.  Dave Sullivan. Captain Ron.  Evad.  The many alias’s of Bill Danenhauer have been uncovered. 

            From entertaining an audience in the wrestling ring, to calling plays on a football field, Bill Danenhauer has lived quite an interesting life.  The former professional wrestler and two-time Tag-Team Champion of the world is currently the head football coach at Dana College. Danenhauer attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha and was an all-conference tackle in 1980.  His talents enabled him to reach every young boy’s dream growing up, the chance to play in the NFL.  Danenhauer had the opportunity to play with Hall of Fame inductees Lynne Swann and Terry Bradshaw for a brief time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He also played with the Baltimore Colts for a few years.  The question becomes, how did Bill Danenhauer wind up as Dave Sullivan and back to Bill Danenhauer?

            During his stint as offensive coordinator at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, Coach Danenhauer met Harley Race, a professional wrestler who introduced him to the wrestling business.  Danenhauer leapt into the wrestling business in 1990 as “The Equalizer” in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).  There, he became a two-time NWA Tag-Team Champion.

The next stop on the wrestling express, took him to the Global Wrestling Federation where he was better known as “Captain Ron”.  He was a part of the Federation for only a year and soon joined on with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where the name Dave Sullivan took on a life of its’ own.

            In 1994, Dave Sullivan was becoming a household name.  Dave had an issue with dyslexia, and often referred to himself as “Evad”.  A tag-team duo known as “The Nasty Boys”, began picking on Dave, and he soon teamed up with his brother Kevin Sullivan to help him out.  The feud between “The Nasty Boys” and the “Sullivan Brothers” lasted for over a year and eventually the Sullivan Brothers took over as tag-team champions of the world.  As the “Sullivan Express” wound down, Evad made one final mark on the wrestling world as Hulk Hogan’s biggest fan.  Sullivan often wore “Hulk-a-maniac” shirts in honor of the great Hulk Hogan, which destroyed his relationship with his brother and tag team partner Kevin Sullivan, as Kevin and the Hulk were bitter rivals.

            His mark had been made on the entertainment business of professional wrestling.  Dave Sullivan was one of the most popular wrestlers among fans of the WCW.  He stood 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed almost 300 pounds, towering over many of his opponents striking fear into them when he entered the ring.  Evad was a fun-loving guy although, and often would tell jokes to entertain the crowd.  His personality and long, blonde hair were adored by many. Assistant head football coach Allen Friesen has had the chance to watch and put together many of Coach Danenhauer’s old wrestling tapes and described the some of the similarities between his days as a professional wrestler and his current time spent at Dana College.  Coach ’D’ likes to motivate the kids and get them going before games, but he also displays the serious side of his personality when needed.”   Dave enjoyed his time in professional wrestling and has no regrets. “I had the chance to travel the world and wrestle with Hulk Hogan and other famous wrestlers during my time in professional wrestling, and I have had a great time doing it”, he said.  Although in the end, all good things must come to an end and eventually Dave Sullivan faded off into the sunset, and was no more.

            Danenhauer decided it was time to get back to the two things he loved most, football and family.  One of the main reasons Danenhauer decided to resume his coaching career he went on to say was that, “you can’t replace the relationships you develop with the athletes, it is something special.”  Coach “D”, as he is referred to by his players and students, joined the Viking coaching staff in 2001 assuming the role of offensive coordinator.  A year later Danenhauer was promoted to assistant head coach, and in 2003 he assumed head coaching responsibilities for the Vikings.  Coach “D” recently completed his fifth year of coaching for Dana, third as head football coach.  “The future is bright”, Danenhauer said.  With that in mind he has his game face back on, and is ready to tackle another football season in 2006.