St. Bonaventure

Bob Sassone first came to St. Bonaventure from his hometown of Brooklyn in 1949 where he played a pivotal role as a player for some of Bona's finest teams of the era.

He led the team to the 1951 National Invitation Tournament as a sophomore, the program's first appearance in the NIT. The Bonnies upset Cincinnati in the first round that year before falling to St. John's in the quarterfinals.

He averaged 11.2 points per game during his Bonaventure varsity career ('51-53) and finished with 829 career points, also leading the team in free throws with a .736 percentage at the line. He was the team's leading scorer in 1951-52 (12.5 ppg) and again in '52-53 (13.5 ppg). He was named All-NIT in 1952 and was sophomore All-American by the Sporting News in 1951. He also earned honorable mention All-America honors again in 1952. He was also credited as the first player in college basketball history to take a charge from an opposing player.

He graduated in 1953 and was drafted in the third round of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. He was also drafted into the US Army and served from September 1953 to September 1955. He passed on the NBA to become an educator and raise a family.

Sassone then returned to St. Bonaventure where he started a long and successful coaching career.

He represented St. Bonaventure in 13 postseason tournaments as a player and a coach. On the sidelines in a coaching role, he was an integral part of the Bonnies' Final Four team in 1970 as well as the 1977 NIT Championship victory as an assistant coach. He recruited the New York City area heavily for the Bonnies given his roots there and helped bring some of Bona's great talent to campus during the first golden era of the program.

For three decades, he served as a Bonnies assistant under Eddie Donovan, Larry Weise, Jim Satalin and Jim O'Brien.

"He's been involved with all of the best teams Bona has ever had," former head coach and player Jim Satalin told the Olean Times Herald in a 2019 interview. "He's been the one common thread throughout the history. He's been with all those great coaches and great players."

In all, he served on the Bonnies' coaching staff for 30 years. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.

Sassone coached at the high school level locally as well, teaching basketball at area high school and collegiate levels for three-plus decades including as head coach at Olean and Franklinville high schools and was a guidance counselor at Olean High. 

He passed away in February 2023 at the age of 91. Olean Times Herald story | Buffalo News story