Thomas Sullivan, Memphis’s most famous Irishman, has never lived in Oxford, and he didn’t attend Ole Miss. But “Silky” is well known by many Rebels. More than a few Ole Miss students have made the drive to Memphis and ended up at Silky O’Sullivan’s. From the early days in the Overton Square location, which opened in 1972, to the present day Silky’s right off Beale Street, Silky has been a noted part of Ole Miss history. If you’ve ever spent more than a few minutes in Silky’s, then you know about the famous Diver. A drink in a paint bucket filled with…something! If you were lucky enough to have made it home with one, then you have a great Ole Miss trophy.
Bursting with charisma, Silky has always loved and treated Ole Miss and Oxford folks with great hospitality. He never forgets a name and yelled mine across the bar when I walked in for the first time in 20 years. There are literally thousands of ‘Silky stories’ that have been rehashed over the years. But Silky’s high water mark at Ole Miss was his days as Sigma Chi Derby Daddy. In particular the Derby Day when he landed on the field in a helicopter and jumped out in a white tux! To know Silky is to love him.
“I’ve said, I may not be the best in the world, but I’m a hard act to follow.”
–“Silky” Sullivan
