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Sonny Dove
Personal information
Born	August 16, 1945; Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 14, 1983 (aged 37); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school	St. Francis Preparatory; (Brooklyn, New York)
College	St. John's (1964–1967)
NBA draft	1967: 1st round, 4th overall pick
	Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career	1967–1978
Position	Small forward
Number	44, 11
Career history
1967–1969	Detroit Pistons
1969	Scranton Miners
1969–1972	New York Nets
1972–1973	Allentown Jets
1977–1978	Brooklyn Dodgers
Career highlights and awards
	Consensus second-team All-American (1967); Haggerty Award winner (1967);
Career NBA/ABA statistics
Points	2,458 (11.1 ppg)
Rebounds	1,334 (6.0 rpg)
Assists	219 (1.0 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference
Representing United States
Men's basketball
Pan American Games

Lloyd "Sonny" Dove (August 16, 1945 – February 14, 1983) was an American professional basketball player. As a star at St. John's University in New York, in his last season of 1967, Dove won the Haggerty Award. That year he was part of the United States basketball team that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg.

His record has continued to make him one of the top players ever at St. John's. In 2005 Dove was among the first ten men selected for "Basketball Legacy Honors" at the university. In 2011 Dove was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

Lloyd Leslie Dove Jr. was born at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts in 1945 and nicknamed "Sonny."^[1] His father was Lloyd Dove, an African-American from New Bern, North Carolina. Sonny's mother Adeline B. Dove (1921–2010) was Mashpee Wampanoag and the sister of Earl Mills Sr. (Flying Eagle), who for many after 1956 the sachem of this people. The Mills were one of the families to have often held this post. ^[2]^[3] He has a brother and sister. By Wampanoag matrilineal tradition, the children are considered to belong to the mother's clan.^[4]

The Doves divorced and the father moved to New York City where Sonny would ultimately move. In 1951 Adeline Dove remarried and had four more children.^[2]

Dove graduated from St. Francis Preparatory School in Brooklyn, where his skill at basketball was noted. He was recruited for St. John's University by Lou Carnesecca, the assistant basketball coach at the time.^[5]

College career

Dove attended St. John's University, where he was a forward and played for three seasons. He started under the legendary coach Joe Lapchick and was nicknamed the "Big Indian", as the team was called the Redmen. At St. John's, Dove as of 1983 was the fifth-highest scorer and second-ranked rebounder in its basketball history.^[6] In his last season of 1966–67, before being recruited by a professional team, Dove was captain of a team with a 23–5 record.^[6]

As of 2008, when Dove was selected posthumously for the "All-Century Team" of St. John's, he was one of only two players in the university basketball program's history with more than 1,000 career points (he ranked 10th with 1,576 points) and more than 1,000 career rebounds (he ranked 2nd with 1,036).^[7]

Career and death

Dove was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the fourth pick of the 1967 NBA draft. He played two years with the Pistons before joining the New York Nets of the ABA, with whom he remained until 1972. In his NBA/ABA career, Dove averaged 11.1 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.^[8] His pro career ended when he shattered his leg in a bicycle accident.^[5]

After his pro career, Dove returned to St. John's University and completed his degree.^[5] He went into sports radio broadcasting, often sharing comments on basketball games with other former pro players. In the 1980s he was partnered with Dave Halberstam in commenting on St. John's University basketball games.^[9]

Dove was also a taxi driver. He died at age 37 from injuries in an accident when the taxi he was driving skidded off a partially open bridge^[10] into the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn in February 1983. A memorial Mass was held at St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, St. Albans, Queens.^[11]

Marriage and family

Dove was married to Patricia. At the time of his death, Dove and his wife were separated.^[10] Dove had three children: Zaynid and Kimberly with Patricia, and Leslie with common-law wife Ellen.^[12]

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA/ABA

Source^[13]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1967–68	Detroit	28	5.8	.293		.462	1.9	.4	2.0
1968–69	Detroit	29	8.1	.470		.667	2.1	.4	4.1
1969–70	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	80	28.6	.462	.154	.633	6.8	1.3	14.4
1970–71	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	83	27.5	.464	.286	.681	8.1	1.1	13.5
1971–72	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	2	4.5	.400	–	.667	.5	.5	3.0
Career (NBA)		57	7.0	.394		.581	2.0	.4	3.1
Career (ABA)		165	27.7	.463	.222	.653	7.4	1.2	13.8
Career (overall)		222	22.4	.457	.222	.647	6.0	1.0	11.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1968	Detroit	2	3.0	.500		–	1.0	.0	2.0
1970	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	7	40.1	.495	.250	.667	10.1	1.3	17.6
1971	N.Y. Nets (ABA)	5	6.4	.500	–	.250	2.2	.2	2.2
Career (ABA)		12	26.1	.495	.250	.628	6.8	.8	11.2
Career (overall)		14	22.8	.495	.250	.628	6.0	.7	9.9

Legacy and honors

1967, Haggerty Award
1967, Consensus NCAA All-American Second Team
1967 gold medal for basketball team, Pan American Games, Winnipeg
2005, named among the first 10 men selected for "Basketball Legacy Honors" at St. John's University^[14]
2008, named to St. John's University "All-Century Team"^[7]
2011, inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame^[15]

References

^ Child, Christopher C., Notable Mayflower Descendants: Sonny Dove, The Mayflower Descendant 68 (2020):98–104. Through his mother, Sonny Dove is a descendant of Mayflower passengers Stephen and Constance Hopkins, Thomas and Joseph Rogers, John Howland, and John, Joan, and Elizabeth Tilley
^ ^a ^b Staff, "Obituary of Adeline B. Hicks", Barnstable Patriot, 2 April 2010, accessed 19 November 2011
^ Earl Mills Sr. and Alicja Mann, Son of Mashpee: Reflections of Chief Flying Eagle, a Wampanoag, Tucson, Arizona: Word Studio, 1996, Revised Edition 2006
^ "Obituary: Adeline B. Hicks", Nashauonk Mittark, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, May 2010, accessed 19 November 2011
^ ^a ^b ^c Vic Siegel, "The Gospel According to Lou", New York Magazine, Vol. 16, No. 6, 7 February 1983 ISSN 0028-7369, accessed 19 November 2011
^ ^a ^b GLENN FOWLER, Obituary: "Sonny Dove, St. John's Star In 1960's, Dies in Car Plunge", New York Times, 15 February 1983, accessed 19 November 2011
^ ^a ^b St. John's Names All-Century Team" Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine, College Hoop Nets, 29 May 2008, accessed 19 November 2011
^ Sonny Dove, basketball-reference.com, accessed 19 November 2011.
^ "Sonny Dove's Elusive Search", New York Times, 15 February 1983, accessed 19 November 2011
^ ^a ^b "Ex-Cager Drowns in Cab, Family Sues for $100 Million", Jet, Mar 14, 1983, Vol. 63, No. 26 ISSN 0021-5996, p. 46, accessed 19 November 2011
^ "A Mass for Sonny Dove", New York Times, 17 February 1983
^ "St. John's Greats Gather For Legacy Night", CBS Sports, January 20, 2006, accessed 20 September 2012
^ "Sonny Dove NBA/ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^ "St. John's to Bestow Legacy Honors on 10 Men's Basketball Legends". RedStormSports.com. November 22, 2005. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015.
^ "Sonny Dove set for induction into New York City Basketball Hall of Fame", Amsterdam News, 16 September 2011, accessed 19 November 2011