Willard Leon (Willie) Sojourner (September 10, 1948 – October 20, 2005) was an American basketball player recruited to Weber State University by head coach Dick Motta. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sojourner's basketball career (1968-71) at Weber State included Big Sky Conference records in scoring and rebounding. He lead the Wildcats to three Big Sky Conference regular-season titles. His career stats include 1,563 points and 1,143 rebounds. Sojourner still ranks second in rebounding and first in career rebounding average at 14.1 per game. Sojourner went on to play in the American Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires and New York Nets. He was traded to the Nets along with Julius Erving and was the best man at Irving's wedding. Sojourner dubbed Irving with the nickname "Dr. J". Sojourner also played professionally in Italy [1]. Sojourner was killed in an automobile accident near Rieti, Italy, where he played professionally for six years. At the time of his death, he was serving as head coach of a club team in Rieti. At WSU he is considered one of the greatest basketball stars in school history.
References
External links
- ABA/NBA playing statistics at basketballreference.com
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New York Nets 1973-74 ABA Champions
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