Sonny Dove

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." 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. He has a brother and sister. By Wampanoag matrilineal tradition, the children are considered to belong to the mother's clan.

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.

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). His pro career ended when he shattered his leg in a bicycle accident.

After his pro career, Dove returned to St. John's University and completed his degree.

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

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

Career statistics

NBA/ABA Source

Regular season

Playoffs

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 2008, named to St. John's University "All-Century Team" 2011, inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame