The 2025 Person Of The Year honoring the Satch Sullinger Family

The Agonis Club of Columbus is happy to celebrate our Person of the Year for 2025 with a banquet and program. The POY is the Satch Sullinger Family featuring Satch, JJ, Julian and Jared.

James “Satch” Sullinger is a retired educator and high school basketball coach from Columbus City Schools. He received several Ohio Coach of the Year Awards and was named Naismith National High School Coach of Year in 2010.

Satch’s award-winning coaching career was preceded by making history as the first African-American to become a full-time administrator with any of the 33 Olympic Sports, working with ABAUSA, known today as USA Basketball. He presently works with the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department as a Community Liaison.

Satch has also received the Corcoran Award in May of 2014, was given both the Health Hero Award from National African American Male Wellness Walk Foundation Who’s Who Among Black in Columbus “Living Legend” in 2015. Putting people together with purpose is his strength and Satch authored the book “Winning with Purpose,” which released in November 2013. Sullinger received his B.S. from Oberlin College in 1978 and M.S. from Grambling State University in 1981. He is married with three sons and five grandchildren.

J.J. Sullinger played for Thomas Worthington HS also attended Ohio State and played for coach Thad Matta (a former Agonis Club Person of the Year). Following college, J.J. played in the CBA, PPA and in Europe.

Julian Sullinger played for Kent State and then embarked on a coaching career that has led him currently to Duquesne University where he is the asst Men’s basketball coach. Julian spent the prior 7 years at Kent State and before that he had coaching stints at Tiffin University and at Northland HS as an asst to his Father Satch.

Jared Sullinger played for his Dad at Northland HS in Columbus and Ohio State. In what would be his final year at Ohio State, Jared led the Buckeyes to a 31–8 overall record (13–5 Big Ten). He averaged 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during the 2011–12 season. The Buckeyes advanced to the ‘Final Four’ of the 2012 NCAA tournament, where the team lost to the Kansas Jayhawks. Then went on to the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.