Lloyd Dove Jr. was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945 and nicknamed "Sonny." His father was Lloyd Dove, a member of the Narrangansett tribe. Sonny's mother Adeline B. Dove was Mashpee Wampanoag and the sister of Earl Mills Sr., the hereditary sachem since 1956 of this people. His siblings are Larry Dove of Mashpee and Gladys Dove Barnes of Queens, N.Y. By Wampanoag matrilineal tradition, the children are considered to belong to the mother's clan. The Doves divorced. In 1951 Adeline Dove married Donald Hicks Sr. of Mashpee, Massachusetts, and returned to the town where she had grown up. She had more children with Donald: Donnella Hicks Pocknett, Errol Hicks, Donald Hicks Jr., and Gary Hicks, all of Mashpee. 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.
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. 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. 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 and more than 1,000 career rebounds.
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. His pro career ended when Dove shattered his leg in a bicycle accident. After his pro career, Dove returned to St. John's University and completed his degree. 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. He was also a taxi driver. Dove died at age 37 from injuries in an accident when the taxi he was driving skidded from a partially open bridge into the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn in February 1983. A memorial Mass was held at St. Catherine of SienaRoman Catholic Church, St. Albans, Queens.
Marriage and family
He married Patricia. At the time of his death, Dove and his wife were separated. Dove had three children: with Patricia :Zaynid, and Kimberly and with common law wife Ellen: Leslie.
