John Toner passed away

[Dove]

The man who hired Geno and JC has passed away per a tweet I saw from Ken Davis. Surprised no mention here.

He was the UConn AD from 1969 to 1987...then oversaw the construction of Gampel Pavillion highlighted by the landmark hiring of Enzo Patoni.

Rest in Peace John Toner.

 

[Palatine]

I remember John from my days as a sports reporter at WHUS.

For some reason my lasting memory is traveling to Holy Cross in the car behind Toner's when it appeared he hit a dog. We all stopped. And the dog ran off apparently okay. Toner looked back at the scene and said, "Ahhh, all he did is defecate." We laughed and got back in our cars. Crazy memory. Nice guy. RIP.

 

[intlzncster]

The man who hired Geno and JC has passed away per a tweet I saw from Ken Davis. Surprised no mention here.

The greatest move in college athletics. Should be a statue of him somewhere.

 

[huskyharry]

RIP Mr. Toner! IIRC I went to school with two of his children.

 

[8893]

Thanks for posting this. I knew his son but hadn't heard.

He was a good man and those two hires were the best things to ever happen to UConn, and probably the best things to happen to the state in my lifetime.

Rest in Peace, sir. You deserve it.

 

[KennyD]

Rest In Peace Coach

I was fortunate to play for you. You went out of your way to help me off the field too. Everyone that played for you was very fortunate.

Cliff, Nick, Ralph, Al, Carlo and I will hoist one in your honor this weekend, and we'll tell stories of the good old days - like we always do!

 

[CL82]

Nice man. He would frequently come up to me in the gym and ask me "how (I) thought we'd do this year" in the gym while I working out. I'd always answer that I'd thought this was going to be great year for "us" which was kind of funny since I didn't play for any UConn team.

He put UConn on the path to being a basketball power and a top 25 public university. We can never appreciate that enough.

Rest in Peace.

 

[Citrusdog]

I use to play golf with John - in the early 80's - at Willimantic CC. Rest in peace.

 

[superjohn]

His fingerprints are all over the UConn program, actually UConn basketball wouldn't exist without John Toner. RIP.

 

[mauconnfan]

RIP JToner........(drank our champagne in the streets of Providence as he walked by and we were all celebrating Joey Wheltons and gang ECAC championship - nice man)

Great hire and thank you!!

 

[TRest]

He and his wife lived in the same apartment building with my parents when they were all young and used to hit the town back in the 50's in New Britain. My father had me look him up when I got on campus as a freshman, he took an hour out of his day to show me around the athletic department. He had a scale model of the future Gampel, it was a rectangular building at that planning stage. He was an extremely nice guy.

 

[Husky1972]

RIP JToner...(drank our champagne in the streets of Providence as he walked by and we were all celebrating Joey Wheltons and gang ECAC championship - nice man)

Great hire and thank you!!

OT from the sad subject at hand, but are we talking about the game where PC's Stokes decked Joey with a forearm shiver to the throat as Joey was just standing passively, and Coach Dave Gaviit yanked Stokes from the game never to be seen again?

One of those vivid memories of UConn BBall. Loved that team. A lot of heart.

 

[LIUCHusky]

RIP JToner...(drank our champagne in the streets of Providence as he walked by and we were all celebrating Joey Wheltons and gang ECAC championship - nice man)

Great hire and thank you!!

Hey Mau, That ECAC championship was won in Springfield, MA. What the heck were you doing in Providence? The following week UConn won a first round NCAA game against Hofstra in Providence.

 

[uconn37]

The man who hired Geno and JC has passed away per a tweet I saw from Ken Davis. Surprised no mention here.

He was the UConn AD from 1969 to 1987...then oversaw the construction of Gampel Pavillion highlighted by the landmark hiring of Enzo Patoni.

Rest in Peace John Toner.

View attachment 6940

Great gentleman who brought UCONN into the big time. Thank you coach.

 

[UConnLen]

OT from the sad subject at hand, but are we talking about the game where PC's Stokes decked Joey with a forearm shiver to the throat as Joey was just standing passively, and Coach Dave Gaviit yanked Stokes from the game never to be seen again?

One of those vivid memories of UConn BBall. Loved that team. A lot of heart.

YES was there in Springfield that day. Dave Gavitt was a great man-to take one of his star guards out of that championship game showed us UConn fans how great! John Toner also was a great man of high integrity. Being involved with Glen Millers recruitment I got to meet him a few times. I knew Glen would do great things at UConn-just didn't imagine he'd be a coach some day there!

 

[dunkinhuskies]

I met Mr. Toner in 1975 when I was the Concert Chairman with the Student Union Board of Governors and approached him about hosting a concert in the "Fieldhouse" for a concert with Fleetwood Mac and Renaissance. He agreed to let us have a concert and we rented a stage, chairs, sound system, and had 160 students help out on what turned out to be the first and only concert ever held in that facility on 10/25/75. The audience "trashed" the fieldhouse with a lot of broken bottles after the show and general garbage and the band made a mess of the athletic lounge with burns on the furniture but I appreciated Mr. Toner's willingness to give us the opportunity to stage a concert in that facility even though the students wrecked any chance of future concerts. He was a nice man in my dealings with him at that time.

 

[mauconnfan]

Hey Mau, That ECAC championship was won in Springfield, MA. What the heck were you doing in Providence? The following week UConn won a first round NCAA game against Hofstra in Providence.

While I was hammered and in my youthful 20's I know I was in Providence or have messed up my years........I need proof. I can remember a visit to the Foxy Lady right after before heading back to Meriden for last call at The Brookside. Also my buddy's car was wedged between 2 cars in Providence when we were leaving and he rammed back and forth to create space to leave. Yeah stupid kids no doubt but it was only a Maverick lol.......I do know they won something there and swear it was ECAC? Jeff Carr, Randy LaVigne etc etc....?

 

[Husky1972]

While I was hammered and in my youthful 20's I know I was in Providence or have messed up my years...I need proof. I can remember a visit to the Foxy Lady right after before heading back to Meriden for last call at The Brookside. Also my buddy's car was wedged between 2 cars in Providence when we were leaving and he rammed back and forth to create space to leave. Yeah stupid kids no doubt but it was only a Maverick lol..I do know they won something there and swear it was ECAC? Jeff Carr, Randy LaVigne etc etc....?

78-79 was in Pr0vidence. 75-76 in Springfield.

ECAC Tournament, Providence CC, Providence, RI
03/01/79vs. Boston CollegeProvidence, RIW, 91-74
03/03/79vs. Rhode IslandProvidence, RIW, 58-50

NCAA Tournament, Providence, RI
03/10/79vs. SyracuseProvidence, RIL, 89-81

Mar. 3, 1979
vs. Rhode Island
(ECAC Tournament, Providence CC, Providence, RI)
W, 58-50
Day:Saturday
Date:Mar. 3, 1979
Locationrovidence, RI
Time:TBA

 

[Husky1972]

New England ECAC
Semifinals, March 4, 1976
Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA

Connecticut 73
Massachusetts 69

Finals, March 6, 1976
Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
Connecticut 87
Providence 73

 

[mauconnfan]

79 it was then.........my bad.........thanks

 

[Husky1972]

79 it was then....my bad....thanks

Nothing bad about it, We're just getting up there in age, and like you said, we might have been a little under the influence at the time.

Hell, I'd have to think about it to tell you who won the last National Championship.

 

[mauconnfan]

Nothing bad about it, We're just getting up there in age, and like you said, we might have been a little under the influence at the time.

Hell, I'd have to think about it to tell you who won the last National Championship.

Not "might have been" 1972, WAS under the influence!! LOL....but yes, getting old

 

[UConnLen]

Not "might have been" 1972, WAS under the influence!! LOL....but yes, getting old

Mauconn I remembered it was Springfield in my post above only because it was so cold that day! One of my buddies pissed off the roof of the parking garage and swor it froze before it hit the ground! Too much beer on the ride up from NL.

 

[UConnLen]

Not "might have been" 1972, WAS under the influence!! LOL....but yes, getting old

Mauconn I remembered it was Springfield in my post above only because it was so cold that day! One of my buddies pissed off the roof of the parking garage and swore it froze before it hit the ground! Too much beer on the ride up from NL.