Ex-Nevada basketball coach Sonny Allen to be inducted into Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
Sonny Allen, who led Nevada basketball to its first two NCAA Tournament berths, is being inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
The legendary coach made Reno his home after coaching the Wolf Pack from 1980-87, posting a 114-89 record with four Big Sky championships and 1984 and 1985 NCAA Tournament appearances. Allen, who was a two-time conference coach of the year at Nevada, will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame posthumously after dying at age 84 in September 2020 following a battle with Parkinson's Disease.
Born in Moundsville, W.V., Allen was a star point guard at Marshall from 1956-60 before serving as an assistant coach for the team from 1960-65. He got his first varsity head-coaching job at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., leading the Monarchs to six Division II tournaments, including a national title in 1975. His team finished runner-up in 1971 and fourth nationally in 1976, with Allen setting the stage for the program's jump to Division I, which happened two years after he left for SMU. When Allen took Old Dominion's job, the school played in Division III in what amounted to high school gyms. He went 181-94 with the Monarchs.
Beyond the wins at Old Dominion, Allen was known for his push for integration in the state. While at Old Dominion, Virginia was segregated, as was college basketball in the state. During the interview process with the school, he asked athletic director Bud Metheny if he could recruit African-American players. Metheny agreed that he could.
"If Bud had said no, I wouldn't have taken the job," Allen later said.
Integrating college basketball in Virginia was a difficult process with his players sometimes having to sleep in gyms because hotels were segregated. His players were often victims of racial slurs during games. But Allen pushed on, giving Arthur "Buttons" Speakes, who like Allen was a West Virginia native, a scholarship to play for Old Dominion, making him the program's first black player.
"He meant the world to me because he gave me a chance," Speakes told Old Dominion's website upon Allen's death. "I wasn't going anywhere fast in Huntington. He gave me a chance to play ball and get my education. He kind of looked after me because I was going into strange territory as the first (black player at a predominantly white school in Virginia.) He promised my mother that he'd look out for me and he did. He was courageous. We went to some places, we played some games where he had to hold his breath. But we did all right."
On Friday, the State of Virginia General Assembly will honor Allen and the rest of this year's Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductees. The honorees will officially be inducted April 30. Allen will be one of four people inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class, joined by world champion whitewater canoeist Jon Lugbill, former University of Virginia football star Anthony Poindexter and three-time Pro Bowl running back Chris Warren, who went to high school and college in the state.
In 2019, Old Dominion athletic director Wood Selig authorized a campaign by ODU to push for Allen's induction and wrote a column published in the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press that helped shine a light on Allen's candidacy. Four Hall of Fame coaches – Larry Brown, George Raveling, Dale Brown and Paul Westhead – wrote letters of support for Allen's candidacy, and he also received support from then-Gov. Ralph Northam, then-ODU President John R. Broderick, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and former NFL star Bruce Smith.
"Our family is extremely grateful for our Dad's induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," Billy Allen, Sonny's son and a Wolf Pack Hall of Famer, said in a news release. "We can't tell you how thankful we are for all the support, especially from the ODU family and Wood Selig, who worked so hard to make this happen. Our dad lived a wonderful life and had an amazing story, and we're honored that he is right there with the great legends in Virginia sports history. This induction has truly brought joy to our entire family."
Added Selig: "Whenever I spoke with anyone about Sonny Allen's candidacy for the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame the response was always the same, 'Isn't he already in there?' Most people not only thought he was deserving of the recognition but also that he had already been inducted. I am thrilled for the Allen family and all of their friends who have hoped for this announcement and opportunity for induction. Thank you to the hall of fame committee for making such a wonderful selection of a deserving and forward-thinking man."
Allen was known as a basketball pioneer. He was an offensive guru who believed in up-tempo, fast-break, fun basketball. His book called "The Sonny Allen Fast Break" became a must read for college coaches, and the numbering of players from 1 (point guard) to 5 (center) was Allen's brainchild that helped improve transition basketball. His advocacy helped introduce the 3-point shot, make the assist an official stat and get the jump ball taken out in favor of a possession arrow.
Among those who were fond of Allen was former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, who Rebels teams battled Allen's Wolf Pack (Nevada beat top-15-ranked UNLV teams twice in Allen's tenure). Additionally, Indiana's Bobby Knight once called Allen the nation's premiere expert on offensive basketball.
In addition to his time at Nevada and Old Dominion, Allen coached SMU, going 61-77 with one SWAC coach of the year award. He was inducted into the Wolf Pack Hall of Fame in 2005. He also was the head coach of the Las Vegas Silver Streaks (in the World Basketball League) and Santa Barbara Islanders (in the Continental Basketball Association) and was an assistant with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and scout with three other NBA teams. He assisted the WNBA's Detroit Shock before being the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs from 1999-2001. He finished his career with a 613-383 record.
Allen was survived by his wife, Donna, and four children, son, Billy; daughters Jackie Eldrenkamp, Kelly Marcantel and Jennifer Allen; and step-children Jimmy Warner and Tedi Holdmann. Earlier this month, ODU played Marshall, Allen's alma mater, in a nationally televised game dubbed "Sonny Allen Night."
"It's so special to be able to celebrate my dad with his Monarchs and Thundering Herd in one arena and celebrate his life," Billy Allen told the Charleston Gazette-Mail. "It's just awesome. This night is going to be a tremendous joy to our family for the rest of our lives."