By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion athletic officials teamed with the family of former ODU basketball coach Sonny Allen for nearly a year and very quietly raised more than $150,000 for a scholarship that will bear Sonny's name.
The effort was suggested by former ODU All-American Dave Twardzik and Dick Fraim, the former ODU radio voice and retired broadcasting executive, after Allen passed away on Sept. 11, 2020.
Athletic Director Wood Selig approved the effort last year and Jay Haeseker, an assistant athletic director for development for the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, worked with Twardzik and Fraim to reach out to Sonny's former players, coaches and friends.
And without any publicity, advertising or receptions, more than $167,000 was raised in a little over a year.
Twardzik and Fraim, along with former Monarch assistant coach Ed Hall, kicked off the private campaign with generous donations and dozens have since donated, some as little as $100, others up to $20,000.
The fundraising campaign was officially made public last month when the University held "Sonny Allen Night" during ODU's home game with Marshall, Sonny's alma mater.
Impressive as it is, $167,000 isn't enough for Billy Allen and his family. Billy, Sonny Allen's oldest son, wants to raise that total to $250,000, the level needed for the scholarship to officially be considered endowed.
"We're not going to quit until we get there," Billy Allen said. "We will not stop."
Just six days after the Allens returned home, they had worked the phones and raised $10,000 more. The effort included Billy Allen, sisters Jennifer Allen, Jackie
Eldrenkamp and Kelly Allen Marcantel and Donna Allen, Sonny's wife.
They're still a long way from $250,000, but vow to get there.
Billy Allen said that it helped when ODU formally announced the scholarship. A total of 56 donors or groups of donors have already given to the effort and now they all know that the goal has not yet been reached.
"Now that I know we haven't reached the goal, I'm going to donate more," said former ODU forward Jeff Fuhrmann, a member of the 1975 Division II national championship team.
"I think there are a lot of people out there who didn't know about the fundraising effort. And now I hope they do."
The effort faces two inherent obstacles.
Sonny and Billy Allen at 1975 Final Four
First, so many of the contemporaries of Allen, who was 84 when he died, have also passed on. He last coached in Norfolk in 1975, when the led ODU to the Division II national championship, so there aren't a ton of Monarch fans who have memories of him.
Secondly, the Allen family offered to keep the fundraising effort largely contained to people associated with Sonny, his teams or their family.
There are so many other ODU fundraising efforts ongoing, including an ambitious campaign to revamp Bud Metheny Ballpark, and it doesn't make sense to approach the same donors for too many projects.
Nonetheless, Billy Allen is convinced the effort will be successful. He has begun reaching out to friends who coached and played with Allen at Nevada, SMU and professional leagues, including the NBA and WNBA.
"I'm going to keep reaching out to people," he said. "We're going to get to $250,000."
He said he and his family are so determined in part because of the experience they had recently on Sonny Allen Night.
About a dozen members of the Allen family gathered with former players, coaches and others who knew their father at Chartway Arena. They were blown away, they said, with the outpouring of love and support.
Most arrived a day ahead of the game and gathered for dinner that night in Ghent. They spent the next day touring campus and watched the ODU basketball team at their shoot-around practice.
"Every member of the team and all the coaches came into the stands and shook our hands," Jackie Eldrenkamp said. "It was such a respectful thing to do.
"(ODU coach) Jeff Jones and his players were so good to us."
Several members of the entourage were in tears.
That evening, before the game, Selig took a group of about 20 family members, former players and donors to the scholarship out to dinner. That evening the family, donors and others were introduced at mid-court at halftime, and then Billy joined Twardzik, Ted Alexander and Billy Mann on the ODU Sports Radio Network.
Billy then met with Paul Webb, who succeeded his father as coach, and the family did TV and newspaper interviews in between eating, drinking and spending time with old friends.
"It was perfect, absolutely perfect," Eldrenkamp said.
"We have so much love for the ODU family, from what they've provided us, to how they treated us," Billy Allen added.
There were so many memories shared of Sonny's coaching career and especially ODU's national championship run in 1975.
The Monarchs began the season at 7-4, but beginning with a 120-87 victory over traditional Division II powerhouse Kentucky Wesleyan, the Monarchs reeled off 15 consecutive victories, including a 76-74 victory over the University of New Orleans in the national championship game in Evansville, Indiana.
The most well-known photograph from that championship game is of standout center Wilson Washington and student manager Tony Flores hoisting Sonny on their shoulders, carrying him off the court. The photo, it turns out, is a tad misleading.
Flores attended Sonny Allen night and explained that he wasn't included in the travelling party in Evansville – he drove with friends there. He was on the court because he was asked to steady the ladder used to cut down the nets, and Sonny was the last to clip the final cords away.
As Sonny stepped off the ladder, Washington picked him up by his right shoulder. Flores grabbed the left shoulder to keep Sonny from falling over.
Seconds later, the photograph was snapped.
"I just wanted to make sure Sonny didn't fall over," Flores said.
Billy Allen said he heard so many other stories from former players and coaches, including Charlie Woollum, an assistant on that team who went from ODU to have a long and successful career as a head coach at Bucknell and William & Mary.
"As good a coach as Sonny was, he was a far better person," Woollum said.
Dave Twardzik motioning to Allen family on the court
Jay Rountree, a 6-foot-10 center on that national championship team, kind of epitomized the affection for Sonny that still exists.
His wife, Beth, is fighting pancreatic cancer in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And while the latest tests are encouraging, he's doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't come down with COVID.
Her immune system is compromised because of the many treatments she has received, so he was hesitant to come to Norfolk
He was finally convinced to go by his wife who said, "be there for Sonny Allen's family."
He went, spent time with family, and then for five days afterwards, quarantined at a second home he owns in North Carolina.
"I thought the world of Sonny Allen," he said.
Kelly Marcantel, Sonny's youngest child, was in Norfolk for the first time.
"I've been on the verge of crying for three days," she said. "I wasn't even born until 1985.
"I loved hearing all of these stories. I've heard the names for all of these years, and these are all of those people."
Point guard Joey Caruthers remembers developing a close friendship with Oliver Purnell, a senior on that national championship team.
"Every day, after practice during the preseason, Sonny and Charlie Woollum would play Oliver and myself two on two," he said. "And we had some freaking battles, knock down drag out battles.
"That's the way Sonny was. He was going to make you do it the right way, and wouldn't settle for anything less than your best effort.
"He had a tremendous influence on my entire life. I may not have gone to college if it weren't for Sonny."
He had no other offers, save one from VMI, and Lexington wasn't the place for him.
"I owe so much to Sonny," he said.
Former power forward Terry Foster, whose arms remain as muscular as they were 50 years ago, said the fundraising effort will succeed.
"There are no ifs, ands or buts," he said. "It's going to get done, even if the players have to do it."
Some generous contributions have already come from outside the ODU community.
Mike Jaccar is a West Virginia native who played point guard for Allen at SMU. He was an All-Southwest Conference choice during a time when the defunct conference included Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
After playing baseball professionally, he returned as an assistant coach for Sonny. The Brentwood Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Texas businessman Tom Teague, recently made a large contribution to the fund. Jaccar is president of the foundation.
"Sonny Allen was literally like a father to me," he said. "When I played at SMU, I got so sick of watching film of Joey Caruthers and Dave Twardzik.
"I just loved Sonny. He had a great offensive mind and truly was an incredible gentleman. I love Billy like a brother and Sonny like a father."
Teague also knew Allen and agreed the foundation needed to contribute to the fund.
"Tom, he just enjoyed Sonny so much, and knew how much he meant to me."
Donna Allen, who was married to Sonny for nearly 30 years, said getting to the $250,000 level is important for his legacy.
"Sonny felt like scholarships were very important," she said. "Sonny and I always looked at scholarships as helping players financially, motivating them to be good students and players."
As an endowed scholarship, it will last as long as ODU plays basketball. Asked what she wanted players 50 years from now to know about Sonny, she said. "that he loved basketball, loved Old Dominion and this should be a growing experience in life for a young man.
"We would all hope that they all turn out like Dave Twardzik."
To contribute to the Sonny Allen scholarship, CLICK HERE.
Sonny Allen will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 30. To purchase tickets to that event, CLICK HERE
Names of donors to the Sonny Allen Scholarship:
Mr. George D. Raiss
Mr. Edwin L. Hall
Mr. Richard A. Fraim
Mr. James D. Miller
Mr. David Twardzik
Mr. John E. Averrett
Jeff Fuhrmann Driving Academy
Mr. W. Parke Congleton
Sandra L and Herbert P Hollowell Jr
Mr. Joe Mersel
Mr. Jay P. Rountree
Mr. Matthew T. Foster
Mr. James E. Bush
Mr. Wallace G. Haislip
Mr. B. Berry Roach, Jr.
Mr. Matthew T. Foster
Dr. James Jarrett
Mr. R. Reese Neyland
Mr. Charles R. Woollum
Mr. Marion E. Carroll
Mr. Joel Andrew Mason, M.D.
Mr. Carol R. Hudson, Jr.
Dr. G. William Whitehurst
Mr. David H. Moyer
Mrs. Sugie F. Jarrett
Mrs. Sharon Lublin
Mr. Robert L. Pritchett
Mr. Richard F. Kiefner, Jr.
Dr. Wood Selig
Mr. Robert L. Howlett, Jr.
Mr. Ben Maze
Mr. Joey B. Caruthers
Mr. Thomas J. Conrad, Jr.
Nancy Lieberman Charities
Schwab Charitable Fund
Mr. George Raveling
Mr. David J. Twardzik
Capt. W. Randall Leddy, USN
Sunny Days Charitable Foundation Trust
Mr. Robert H. Marriott, III
Mrs. True L. Caprio
Mr. Joel M. Copeland
Anonymous
Mr. James E. Bush
Mr. Barry M. Kornblau
Ms. Thelma R. Chambers
Ms. Sandra J. Simpson
Mr. John N. Varlas
Varlas Trailer Park , LLC
Ms. Carolyn S. Eakin
Burgess Family Revocable Trust
Schwab Charitable Fund
Mr. Wendell G. Kristofak, Jr.
Tom Teague and Mike Jaccar, Brentwood Foundation
Hanrahan Environmental LLC
William "Sonny" Allen Family
Ameriprise Financial
Mr. William A. Moore
Mr. Harry B. Minium, Jr.
Mr. Charles T. McKinney
Mr. Merlin Schneider
Mr. James E. Bush and former ODU star Arthur "Buttons" Speakes
Mr. Dan Peters
Burgess Family Revocable Trust
Minium: ODU Quietly Raised Nearly $170,000 for Sonny Allen Scholarship for Men's Basketball
