Allen’s career as a Sycamore one to remember

(Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a two-part story on the athletic career of Monessen’s Reggie Allen).

When Reggie Allen’s days as both a football and basketball star for the Greyhounds ended, there was no doubt he would move up to the next level.

Belle Vernon Area star Bill Contz – who went on to play for Penn State and then spent six seasons in the NFL – called Allen “a standout two-way high school football player.” However, it was Allen’s offense that would lead to glory and splendid individual accomplishments as the starting quarterback for Indiana State University.

After visiting several colleges and having interest shown by coaches such as Lee Corso of Indiana, Allen, on the advice of MHS coach Joe Koval, made his way to Terre Haute, Ind., where Koval’s son was playing football.

“I went there because they said they’d give me a shot at quarterback, and that’s all I wanted, a shot,” Allen said.

He knew if he didn’t cut it as a quarterback, he’d become a defensive back, just as Corso wanted him to be with the Hoosiers.

But Allen noted, “I never played anything but quarterback since little league. If I was converted to defensive back, they’d have to teach me everything, so that’s just a waste of time.”

Allen, like Joe Montana at Notre Dame, found himself buried on the depth chart at first.

“They brought in six freshman quarterbacks, and a junior and senior were already there,” he said.

Soon, though, he moved up and an injury before the season opener gave Allen the starting job.

By his sophomore season he won the conference MVP award and fears of losing his job vanished.

He played in all 44 of his team’s games, appearing in the Sycamore’s uniform from 1978 to 1981. Interestingly, one of his linemen there was fellow Greyhound Terry Dzimiera and his center was future Steelers limeman Tunch Ilkin, who became a life-long friend of Allen.

After Ilkin graduated, Allen’s new center was Sean Whiten from Charleroi.

At first Allen had to make adjustments.

“A lot of stuff was thrown at me. I had to read a defense and learn to call audibles,” he recalled. “In high school, my quarterback skills were based on my athletic ability — to throw the ball deep or short, to run.”

In Allen’s MVP sophomore season, even though he threw only 196 times, far short of his college high of 273, he led the Missouri Valley Conference in seven categories including passing yards (1,468), average yards per completion (16.9), passing yards per game, quarterback rating and seven touchdowns. He not only put up a gigantic season, he helped turn the team’s record around from 3-8 to 8-3.

Such a turnabout helped him get named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and the top quarterback on the All-Conference team, making 1979 a rewarding year.

The following season, he threw for career highs of 1,678 yards and 152.5 yards per game. He wound up throwing for almost exactly 6,000 yards (5,904) with 29 TD passes.

Of quarterbacks from the 1956-1981 era, he ranks second in conference passing yardage and pass attempts, third in total touchdowns and yards per completion.

In 2014, he was inducted into ISU’s Hall of Fame, calling him “one of the greatest quarterbacks to don the Blue and White.”

At that time, he still stood second in school history for total offense and career completions, third in passing yards and fourth in passing touchdowns. Allen rushed for 18 scores.

In October, he revisited his college campus for homecoming.

“They were honoring the players from the 70s, and I played from 1978 into the 80s,” he said.

He felt it was difficult to believe his playing days were so long ago, but being reunited with old friends was a delight.

Former Valley Independent sports editor Jeff Oliver summed up his testimonial to Allen calling him “the most exciting quarterback in Greyhounds history.”

Allen, who comes from a family of 11, was the first to graduate from college.

His mother, who he says couldn’t afford to send him to college, had to be proud of him and his skill, which earned him his college scholarship.

Now, he’d like to pay it forward and help others.

Allen, who resides in the Greendale area, says he would like to coach, to “get a high school kid ready for the next level, especially a quarterback.”

“I’m 65 now, and life’s been good to me. I’ve been blessed. I have no regret of everything I did,” Allen said. “If I had a chance to do some things over, yes, I would do things differently. But everything’s been good.”