Rest in Peace, Sonny Dove

If I recall correctly, Sonny died in an auto accident while driving a taxi cab during a snow storm. Am I correct?
 
If I recall correctly, Sonny died in an auto accident while driving a taxi cab during a snow storm. Am I correct?
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Yes
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He drove his cab right through an official obstruction of some kind. Couldn't see it, or saw it too late to stop, and went right through it into the freezing waters below. Had just started doing color on St. John's radio games and was getting his life together after some bumps in the road. Horrible death for anyone, let alone my favorite Redmen ever.

Thinking of Sonny in that Holiday Festival game against Cazzie Russell's #1 Michigan (he was a soph, I was a frosh) is one of my greatest Redmen memories, if not the best. Have a photo of him (soaring over Cincinnati players in the semifinal game before the Michigan final; an iconic shot that appeared in the local papers the next day; believe Looie had it in his office as well) in my apartment, and I smile every time I see it. Wish you all could have seen him play; believe me: you'd be a fan too.
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It's been a long time, but I seem to remember that he had fallen on hard times. I don't think the SJU color analyst job paid very much at all, and that the cab driver's job was his primary source of income, not the other way around. I think Sonny was hoping to get experience and notice and perhaps move into a more substantial job in broadcasting. I also seem to remember that fatigue may have played a role in the tragic accident.

I remember seeing him play CYO around 1973-1975. Back in those days, CYO had divisions that extended up until the age of 21, and beyond that an unlimited division. I think the upper divisions went Tyro, Junior, Senior, and then unlimited. The unlimited division had some former college players. I remember Mel Utley played for St. Mary Star of the Sea, in Far Rockaway. I remember when Dove played at our gym, he was either terribly out of shape, didn't take it seriously, or was just having a horrible night. Some smart aleck in our gym was yelling abusive stuff at him all night, and was angrily explaining what a waste of talent Dove was. I recall how ticked I was, that here was an NBA first round pick who was taking garbage from a guy who never even played college ball. Dove to his credit, didn't react at all to the heckler.

It's nice to hear from some of the guys here who saw him play. I seem to remember that his NBA career was labeled as a can't miss coming in. He was the 4th pick of the NBA draft. The Pistons gave up on him after only two seasons where he didn't play much. Can anyone here who remembers speak about his NBA career?
 
Thanks all for a stroll down memory lane with some wonderful remembrances of Sonny Dove. Taken from us way too early.
 
If I recall correctly, Sonny died in an auto accident while driving a taxi cab during a snow storm. Am I correct?
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Yesp
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y
When he first came on campus I said, to bad he can not play on the varsity..Correct me if I am wrong didn't he play a great game against Michigan or Princeton that we won He was special
 
Remember Sonny well . Group of us traveled to many away games to see him play . remember a conversation with him in the parking lot of a motel in Blacksburg Va . during the NCAA tournament. SJU student Bill davidson would let loose a pigeon at Dove's games and our group would yell out " The Dove flies high " . It was nice to see him getting his life in order and a great shock to hear of his driving through a barrier into a canal . remember that one of the officers responding to the accident was so upset when he recognized Sonny when they brought up the body .
 
Remember seeing Sonny play with the Nets in the old ABA with Rick Barry and Billy Paultz at Island Garden with Louie as the coach. Think he only played one year for Louie before he got hurt and retired. The Nets were an average team back then. After Sonny, Barry and Louie left, they got this "Dr" kid and moved to the Nassau Coliseum.

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After two dismal years with the Pistons (which some blamed on his association with teammate 7-foot Reggie Harding, a Detroit native with a bad rep), Sonny had two decent years with the Nets (14.4 ppg & 13.5 ppg), the second ('70-'71) with Looie. He then suffered an off-the-court, career-ending injury (believe it was a broken leg), so his third and final season with the Nets was only for a handful of unproductive games.

At the time of his death, I believe he was taking (or planning on taking) the credits he needed to get his SJU degree.
 
Sonny Dove was a great REDMEN who played for both, Coach Lapchick and Louie, here at SJU and also, the Nets.

Sonny,was on the 1965 NIT Team Champions , Lapchick's last game as Coach. The Redmen beat Villanova 55-51 in a mild upset. The NIT was still a pretty big time tourney at the time. likely equal to the NCAA but, lost stature quickly thereafter with the UCLA Bruins, John Wooden and Lew Alcindor(pre-Jabbar).

Sonny was a 6'8" forward in College who was a terrific player, good handle, quick to the basket, decent shooter, smart player. He was a legit All American his senior year.He was rail thin for his size in College, maybe 200-210 lbs tops. He was exciting to watch

I think he would have started and been a star for any St JOHN'S team of the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's up to current day.He was that good.

Should have been a very good NBA player but, had issues in a short pro career.. A Redmen Legend for sure.
 
Sonny Dove was a great REDMEN who played for both, Coach Lapchick and Louie, here at SJU and also, the Nets.

Sonny,was on the 1965 NIT Team Champions , Lapchick's last game as Coach. The Redmen beat Villanova 55-51 in a mild upset. The NIT was still a pretty big time tourney at the time. likely equal to the NCAA but, lost stature quickly thereafter with the UCLA Bruins, John Wooden and Lew Alcindor(pre-Jabbar).

Sonny was a 6'8" forward in College who was a terrific player, good handle, quick to the basket, decent shooter, smart player. He was a legit All American his senior year.He was rail thin for his size in College, maybe 200-210 lbs tops. He was exciting to watch

I think he would have started and been a star for any St JOHN'S team of the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's up to current day.He was that good.

Should have been a very good NBA player but, had issues in a short pro career.. A Redmen Legend for sure.
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Reading between the lines of what you guys wrote is what makes being a St. John's fan special. It has more depth than being an MLB baseball fan, or following the Knicks. The guys were our classmates, however far removed, who represented our school, who responded to our cheers, and some of more exuberant among them, urged us to cheer them on. We've followed their lives ups and down far after they stopped playing, and in our encounters with them find a warmth and common ground, simply because they are one of us. In days past, they came up through the same CYO programs, played for our high schools or in the same league, played ball in the same schoolyards. In some ways, being a redmen fan, in the city where basketball wasn't born, but was perfected, is unlike being a fan of any other program at any other school in any other place.
 
Sonny Dove was a great REDMEN who played for both, Coach Lapchick and Louie, here at SJU and also, the Nets.

Sonny,was on the 1965 NIT Team Champions , Lapchick's last game as Coach. The Redmen beat Villanova 55-51 in a mild upset. The NIT was still a pretty big time tourney at the time. likely equal to the NCAA but, lost stature quickly thereafter with the UCLA Bruins, John Wooden and Lew Alcindor(pre-Jabbar).

Sonny was a 6'8" forward in College who was a terrific player, good handle, quick to the basket, decent shooter, smart player. He was a legit All American his senior year.He was rail thin for his size in College, maybe 200-210 lbs tops. He was exciting to watch

I think he would have started and been a star for any St JOHN'S team of the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's up to current day.He was that good.

Should have been a very good NBA player but, had issues in a short pro career.. A Redmen Legend for sure.
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Reading between the lines of what you guys wrote is what makes being a St. John's fan special. It has more depth than being an MLB baseball fan, or following the Knicks. The guys were our classmates, however far removed, who represented our school, who responded to our cheers, and some of more exuberant among them, urged us to cheer them on. We've followed their lives ups and down far after they stopped playing, and in our encounters with them find a warmth and common ground, simply because they are one of us. In days past, they came up through the same CYO programs, played for our high schools or in the same league, played ball in the same schoolyards. In some ways, being a redmen fan, in the city where basketball wasn't born, but was perfected, is unlike being a fan of any other program at any other school in any other place.
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Well Said, Beast.. A + 1 TO YOU..
 
I never saw Sonny play - he was a few years before my time and played with Johnny Warren, I think. I do remember him doing color on the local radio broadcasts of SJU games. He used to pronounce Louie's name "Looo." I was shocked and saddened at the news of his death. He drove off a bridge over the Gowanus Canal in icy weather. I was doing PR at the time for St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and had recently placed a story about research by SFC students in the Gowanus in the Daily News. A previous poster correctly pointed out that he was finishing up his course work at SJU at the age of 37 while driving a cab and working towards breaking into the broadcast booth on a full-time basis. RIP Sonny, proud to be a fellow Johnny.
 
I think he did play with Warren. He also played with Ken McIntyre- Bayside, Bob McIntyre-Holy Cross, Rudy Bogad-Molloy, Albie Schwartz-Chaminade, Mike Rowland-Loughlin, Jack Bettridge-Power, Rich Jackson-Hayes and Ralph Abraham and Jim Smyth-SJ Prep. SJU was like a CHSAA all-star team in those days. Lew Alcindor being the one who got away. Apologies for those I may have omitted.
 
I think he did play with Warren. He also played with Ken McIntyre- Bayside, Bob McIntyre-Holy Cross, Rudy Bogad-Molloy, Albie Schwartz-Chaminade, Mike Rowland-Loughlin, Jack Bettridge-Power, Rich Jackson-Hayes and Ralph Abraham and Jim Smyth-SJ Prep. SJU was like a CHSAA all-star team in those days. Lew Alcindor being the one who got away. Apologies for those I may have omitted.
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Warren did not play with Sonny. Nor did Richie Jackson. They were on freshman team. Billy Jones, a friend of mine, was on that team.
 
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