The family of former Marshall and Old Dominion great Sonny Allen is introduced at halftime of Thursday’s contest between the two schools at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game was dubbed “Sonny Allen Night” for the future Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Old Dominion athletic director Wood Selig, left, speaks with Billy Allen, son of former Marshall and Old Dominion great Sonny Allen, at halftime of “Sonny Allen Night” at Chartway Arena. Sonny Allen was a player and assistant at Marshall before becoming head coach at Old Dominion where he led the Monarchs to a national championship while transforming the program in his 10 seasons.
Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Hal Greer, from left, Tom Herrion and Sonny Allen share a laugh as they attend the Veterans Memorial Field House Finale and alumni game on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, in Huntington.
The family of former Marshall and Old Dominion great Sonny Allen is introduced at halftime of Thursday’s contest between the two schools at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game was dubbed “Sonny Allen Night” for the future Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Old Dominion athletic director Wood Selig, left, speaks with Billy Allen, son of former Marshall and Old Dominion great Sonny Allen, at halftime of “Sonny Allen Night” at Chartway Arena. Sonny Allen was a player and assistant at Marshall before becoming head coach at Old Dominion where he led the Monarchs to a national championship while transforming the program in his 10 seasons.
Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Hal Greer, from left, Tom Herrion and Sonny Allen share a laugh as they attend the Veterans Memorial Field House Finale and alumni game on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, in Huntington.
NORFOLK, Va. — Perhaps Old Dominion’s use of the fast break during a key first-half run of its win over Marshall Thursday was the most fitting tribute that the Monarchs could have given on “Sonny Allen Night” at Chartway Arena.
The family of former Marshall and Old Dominion basketball great Sonny Allen gathered at Chartway Arena Thursday night as the university paid tribute to Allen, who will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on April 30.
That tribute came while Allen’s two favorite universities faced off against each other — a matchup that brought a wealth of emotion for the family as a tribute was played on the videoboard at halftime of Thursday’s game.
“It’s so special to be able to celebrate my dad with his Monarchs and Thundering Herd in one arena and celebrate his life,” son Billy Allen said as he fought back tears. “It’s just awesome. This night is going to be a tremendous joy to our family for the rest of our lives.”
Allen’s career started as a walk-on at Marshall, where he worked his way up to being a starter on a team that featured several Hall of Famers, including his former roommate Hal Greer and Leo Byrd.
Those Marshall teams used the fast break to score points in bunches, averaging 88.1 points in the 1957-58 season.
Following his playing career, Allen stayed on as an assistant coach with the Herd, ultimately charged with helping recruit current Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni as a player. D’Antoni met with the Allen family prior to Thursday’s game.
“We had breakfast with Coach D’Antoni this morning,” Billy Allen said. “Coach D’Antoni talked to us for about an hour and then we came back after ODU’s shoot-around and he was in the lobby, so we talked to him for another 20 minutes. My dad helped recruit him and reached out to him.”
Sonny Allen left Marshall to become the head coach at then-Old Dominion College, where he changed the Monarchs’ basketball trajectory forever by being the first coach to recruit Black players and also by perfecting the fast-break system, which he’d seen during his time at Marshall under head coach Jule Rivlin.
One of the first Black athletes that Allen recruited to Old Dominion was Arthur “Buttons” Speakes, a Huntington native who ended his career as a 1,000-point scorer while also playing baseball at the school.
Allen’s expertise in the fast-break system worked wonders on and off the court for Old Dominion, which not only built a program with success, but saw the exciting brand of basketball lead to packed gymnasiums at the ODU Fieldhouse.
“They say that the Fieldhouse was the house that Dad built,” Eldrenkamp said.
Allen won 181 games in 10 seasons with the Monarchs, making two appearances in the Division II Final Four and winning the 1974-75 national title, the program’s first in school history.
Old Dominion Athletic Director Wood Selig, who was a classmate of Billy Allen’s in middle and high school, said that Sonny Allen’s contributions are beyond measure.
“Sonny was an icon here at Old Dominion,” Selig said. “He was here for 10 years, led us to a national championship and left an indelible mark, not only at Old Dominion, but in college basketball in general.
“He certainly has left a rich legacy. We’re proud to call him a Monarch, just as I’m sure everyone in West Virginia is proud to call him a Thundering Herd [great].”
Sonny Allen, who died on Sept. 11, 2020, will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on April 30 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Grant Traylor is the sports editor of The Herald-Dispatch, who also covers Marshall athletics for HD Media. Follow him on Twitter @GrantTraylor.
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