Sonny Hill
William Randolph "Sonny" Hill (born July 22, 1936) is a former basketball player and announcer. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame,[1] and current sports radio personality in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also serves as an executive advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is known as Mr. Basketball[2] and "The Mayor of Basketball"[1] in Philadelphia for founding the eponymous Sonny Hill League and for his many contributions to the game.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Hill was born and raised in Philadelphia. After graduating from Northeast High School in 1955,[3] he attended college for two years and then joined the .[4]
Hill is the father of filmmaker .
Broadcasting career[]
Hill began his broadcast career in 1969 as a color commentator with Andy Musser for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also a commentator with the NBA on CBS from 1973 until 1977.[5] He has hosted a weekly show on Philadelphia radio station WIP since 1987.
The Sonny Hill League[]
The Sonny Hill Community Involvement League is an amateur summer basketball organization in the Delaware Valley. The league was founded in 1968 as a safe haven from gang warfare and other violence. The league, which began as an extension of the , today consists of more than 60 teams serving more than 800 student athletes.
Awards and honors[]
- Hill received the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.[6]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "INDUCTEES". Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ Steve Young (2008-08-06). "Sonny Hill: Humanitarian Hall of Famer - Making Basketball, Practice for the Real World".
- ^ Missanelli, M. G. (July 12, 1987). "Mr. Basketball A Hero For His Work With Teens, Sonny Hill Is Not Without Critics". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Network (Digital) LLC. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ (1991-07-29). "In A League Of His Own". CNN.
- ^ (2009-01-26). "Morning Report: Sonny Hill in broadcasting's big time".
- ^ "Mannie Jackson's Basketball Human Spirit Award". 2011-06-28.
External links[]
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- 1936 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball players
- American sports announcers
- Basketball players from Philadelphia
- Central State Marauders basketball players
- National Basketball Association broadcasters
- Philadelphia 76ers announcers
- American basketball biography, 1930s birth stubs