George Allen

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George Herbert Allen (April 29, 1918 – December 31, 1990) was an American football coach in the National Football League and the United States Football League.

He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

He is the father of the Republican politician George Allen who served as Governor of and U.S. Senator from Virginia.

Early life

Born in the Grosse Point Woods district of Detroit, Allen was the son of Loretta M. and Earl Raymond Allen, who was recorded in the 1920 and 1930 U.S. census records for Wayne County, Michigan as working as a chauffeur to a private family. He earned varsity letters in football, track and basketball at Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores, Michigan; having graduated in 1940.

Allen went to Alma College in Alma, Michigan and later at Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he was sent as an officer trainee in the United States Navy's V-12 Navy College Training Program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in education from Michigan State Normal College—now known as Eastern Michigan University—in Ypsilanti and then attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a Master of Science degree in physical education in 1947.

Personal life

Allen married the former Henrietta (Etty) Lumbroso (1922–2013), with whom he had four children, three sons and one daughter. His son, George, is a Republican politician, having served as Governor and U.S. Senator from Virginia. Another son, Bruce, served as an executive for the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins of the NFL. Allen's third son, Gregory, is a sports psychologist. His daughter, Jennifer, is an author.

Allen's death may have been indirectly caused by a Gatorade shower. He died on December 31, 1990, from ventricular fibrillation in his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, at the age of 72. Shortly before his death, Allen noted that he had not been feeling well since some of his Long Beach State players dumped a Gatorade bucket filled with ice water on him following a season-ending victory over UNLV on November 17, 1990. He remarked that the university couldn't afford actual Gatorade.

The sports editor of the Long Beach State newspaper, the Daily Forty-Niner, was on the field that day and recalled that the temperature was in the 50s with a biting wind. Allen stayed on the field for media interviews for a considerable length of time in his drenched clothing, and boarded the bus back to Long Beach State soaking wet. Having promised a winning season to a football program on the verge of collapse, in his final game Allen delivered on his promise. His players hoisted him on their shoulders as photographers snapped away, and Allen's team ended the season with a winning record. Allen said his season at Long Beach State was the most rewarding of his entire career.

Allen's son George denied that the Gatorade shower caused the death, attributing it to an existing heart arrythmia. He stated that seeing Gatorade showers on television was a reminder that his father "went out a winner". After Allen's death, the soccer and multipurpose field area on the lower end of campus was dedicated in his honor as George Allen Field. A youth baseball field in Palos Verdes Estates is also named after him.

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Coaching career

Allen was the head football coach at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. At that time, the Morningside staff was dubbed the Chiefs. From 1948 to 1950, he served in that capacity for three seasons. He had a 16–11–2 record as a mentor at Morningside.

Allen was the head football coach at Whittier College in Whittier, California, for six years, from 1951 to 1956, where he was 32–22–5. From 1952 to 1957, he served as the head baseball coach.

Allen joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1957 under former Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman. Allen was fired after one season, and after several months of being in Los Angeles out of football, he was transferred to Chicago by George Halas, the team's founding owner and head coach. Allen's initial intent was to scout the Rams, who would play twice during the season; Allen was hired for insight into Gillman's team's offensive philosophy and signals. Allen's thoroughness and attention to detail impressed Halas that he eventually began working full time on the coaching staff. Allen made Clark Shaughnessy, Halas' top defensive assistant, during the 1962 season, effectively making him the Bears' defensive coordinator.

The Bears' unit was one of the stingiest of its period due to his defensive plans and tactics—as well as his strong leadership skills. During their most fruitful years, Allen's presence had a determining influence on such future Hall of Fame players as linebacker Bill George and end Doug Atkins. Allen's creative tactics helped the Bears produce a league-low 144 total points, 62 fewer than any other team, and earn an 11–1–2 record that was a half-game better than the two-time league champion Green Bay Packers and allowed the Bears to host the NFL championship game. Allen was given the "game ball" after the Bears beat the Giants on December 29 at frigid Wrigley Field. Bears players were notably captured on television news in New England's post-game locker room broadcast "Hooray for George, hooray at last"; cheers to George; he's a horse's ass!"

Allen was also charged with the Bears' college player drafts, and the most likely were three players who were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and became household names in American sport: Mike Ditka (chosen in 1961), halfback Gale Sayers, and middle linebacker Dick Butkus (1965). Allen's name was the most common substitute for Halas if the grand old man of the league wanted to step down. Halas' biography on Jeff Davis claims he told Allen informally that he would eventually hire him as the head coach in 1964 and 1965. Allen, who earned the iron-willed Halas NFL Coach of the Year award in 1965, decided against going back to fulfill his head-coaching aspirations. Halas served as head coach until the 1967 season.

Allen decided to trade Harland Svare for head coach in January 1966. Allen's firing was quickly thrown into a court dispute with Halas, who argued that his Bears contract was in breach. (Halas accused Allen and the Rams of "chicanery.") The Bears did win his case in a Chicago court but immediately allowed Allen to leave, claiming he brought the lawsuit to dispute contract validity. Halas would not be so magnanimous in a NFL meeting less than a week after he mocked Allen's character. "Sounds like you've got yourself a hell of a coach" upon learning this, Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi joking to Reeves.

For the most part, the Rams had just had one winning season since 1956, and for the most part, they were living in or just above the NFL's basement. The team had a lot of talent at several positions, most notable on the defensive line; the "Fearsome Foursome" (David Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy) had gathered a lot of attention on a losing team. Allen's well-known motivational abilities to Los Angeles were welcomed, as his twice-daily (sometimes three times) rigorous training-camps surprised participants by surprise. He explained the philosophy that he'd be known for throughout his NFL career — recruiting veteran players for draft picks to fill specific positions. "The future is now," he said. He also stressed the importance of special teams (kickoff, punt, and field-goal units) as integral to team success. Roman Gabriel, the Rams' secondary quarterback, was recalled to the bench as his starter, renamed to the bench. Allen grew the Rams from a 4–10 record in 1965 to 8–6 in his first year—the team's first winning season since 1958. Allen was named Coach of the Year for his coaching the Rams to an 11–1–2 record and the NFL Coastal Division championship, their first post-season berth since 1955. Despite an 11–3 record (while winning their first 11 games) during the 1969 season and losing a conference game to Joe Kapp and the Minnesota Vikings, Allen did not recover to the 1970 season until now, and he was suspended at the end of season. The football world was stunned by the news, but subsequent reports revealed that tensions between Reeves and Allen had been building for some time. The owner's lower-key temperament differed from Allen's ardent approach; more importantly, some animus had arisen between the two guys in November 1968. Allen disparaged the sloppy Kezar Stadium turf after the favored Rams fought to a tying draw in San Francisco; a few days later, Reeves chastised his coach for constructing what he called a "alibi." Allen rebuffed Reeves' handshake and chastised him for "embarrassing me and my family" following a narrow home win over the New York Giants.

Fans and journalists may have predicted Allen's dismissal, but the Rams' reaction was surprising; 38 players of the team's 40-man roster, including Gabriel, Jones, Olsen, Lundy, Dick Bass, Bernie Casey, Tom Mack, Bernard Casey, Ed Meador, and Jack Pardee, all stated that if Allen were not reinstated, they would request a trade or retaliate if Allen was not reinstated; not expected, is what happened; Many of these celebrities called for a press conference at a Los Angeles hotel to pressure their boss, Reeves, to reconsider their decision. Allen, who was wearing dark glasses, took time to thank his players for their help but did not object in his work. Allen was given a new two-year deal after some discussions, but there was no indication that the two guys had reconciled their differences.

The 1969 Rams and Allen all seemed to support the coach's return to action; their 11–3 record earned them a Coastal Division championship after Gabriel received the NFL's Most Valuable Player award. Allen's crew in 1969 and 1970 could not achieve the championship that many had aspired for in them. Reeves fired Allen after the Rams and Allen's contracts ran out in 1970. Allen had been given the two extra years to bring the Rams a championship, according to the second time, there was no fan outrage nor player protest. Allen quietly departed Los Angeles as the Rams' most popular coach; he currently ranks fourth on the franchise's all-time wins list, behind John Robinson, Chuck Knox, and Mike Martz. He was replaced by UCLA coach Tommy Prothro, who was almost Allen's opposite in personality and approach.

Allen was heavily sought after he left the Rams as soon as he departed, and he came to an agreement with Redskins majority owner Edward Bennett Williams. As Lombardi had expected, replacing interim coach Bill Austin, who had succeeded Vince Lombardi after his death in September 1970, Allen demanded (and obtained) complete authority over player personnel decisions. Allen began remaking the roster to his liking shortly after joining the Redskins; he made a string of trades with his former Ram team and brought seven 1970 Los Angeles players to Washington, including starting linebacker Maxie Baughan, Myron Pottios, and Pardee). The team was dubbed the "Redrams" or "Redrams" by sportswriters. Allen continued to bring in veteran players at any level; one of whom was a long time in football, Billy Kilmer, was complemented and eventually supplanted strong-armed veteran Sonny Jurgensen. After losing for more than two decades, Allen brought the Redskins back to competitiveness. The 1971 team was undefeated into late October and finished with a record of 9–4–1 and its first trip to the playoffs since 1945. Allen's most memorable 1971 victory was a win in Los Angeles in December that guaranteed a playoff spot and banished the Rams from the playoff chase.

Allen's 1972 team, with Kilmer as the starting quarterback, won the NFC East title with an 11–3 record; the defense allowed a conference-low 218 points on the way to a NFC East championship, which was won with a 26–3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. In Super Bowl VII at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Redskins had the opportunity to face the undefeated Miami Dolphins for the world championship, a team they had defeated in the preseason, but the Dolphins' tenacious running game and tenacious defense denied them, losing 14-7.

Washington's teams were well-known for their spirited play and camaraderie, with Allen's keen attention to detail and enthusiastic attitude, with the coach often leading a chant of "Three Cheers for the Redskins" ("Hip Hooray") in the locker room after victories. The Redskins earned the reputation of a team that earned its reputation by hard work and workmanlike conduct, something that was not often represented in individual statistics. The "Over-the-Hill Gang" was the aging Redskins veterans who seemed to save their best efforts for the most important games, making them a household word among NFL fans. They made it to the playoffs for five of Allen's seven years, but they were unable to recreate their 1972 Super Bowl trip. The Redskins' fierce rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys became a favorite subject among pro football fans, and Allen inflamed it with bizarre things like taunting Cowboys players while wearing Indian headdress.

Allen's ardent attempt in the Rams was seen to indicate that winning in the present was all-important, with future planning taking precedence. The Redskins were 9-5 in 1977, but they failed to make the postseason for the second time in three seasons. Despite the fact that owner Williams attempted to broker a new deal for Allen, there were rumors that he was beginning to doubt his coach's philosophy.

Allen was fired by the Redskins in mid-January after rejecting a $1 million, four-year deal during the 1977 season. Jack Pardee, one of his favorites players, was fired by Jack Pardee, who had already secured the Bears' promising young head coach, who had earned the wild card playoff berth ahead of the Redskins, who had lost at 9–5.

Carroll Rosenbloom, the Rams' boss, was looking for a new mentor after losing Chuck Knox and choosing to move Allen back. Allen was hired on February 1, and he returned to Los Angeles in 1978 with a lot of media attention. Both concerned and dissatisfied, Rams head coach Mike McCarthy's second stint as the Rams' head coach was an unpleasant one. Allen did not have complete authority over employees during his first stint. He worked with general manager Don Klosterman to oversee a talented roster that had made the team a perennial playoff contender.

Allen carried his scrupulous discipline and keen attention to detail, which extended to drill-field protocol and dining hall decorum. However, his autocratic coaching style didn't work with the younger generation of NFL players, and a group of Ram players chafed at the rules almost immediately. Some expressed their displeasures publically; a few, including standout linebacker Isiah Robertson, left camp for a short time. The Rams played listlessly and missed the first two games of the 1978 exhibition season, with newspaper reports quoting players who were hoping that differences would be settled. Rosenbloom decided that an immediate change was required to save the season, and that Allen would be fired on August 13. The decision stunned many of Allen's own players. Ray Malavasi, a defensive coordinator who is well-respected and liked by players (and Chuck Knox's only holdover), was fired by players; the Rams then advanced to the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl the next year. Rosenbloom died in April 1979.

Allen was not unemployed for long, although he was off the sidelines for the first time in three decades. He joined CBS Sports as an analyst for NFL network telecasts and spent time in the broadcast booth from 1978 to 1981. For a large portion of his career, he was a member of CBS' number-two broadcast team, alongside play-by-play announcer Vin Scully. Scully and Allen were teamed with former NFL great Jim Brown as the network's only three-man broadcast team during 1978.

Allen had called Halas in late 1981, requesting to be considered for the Bears' vacant head coaching position. Jeff Davis, a George Halas biographer, claims that Allen had contacted Halas in late 1981. Halas, on the other hand, was still smarting how Allen left the Bears 15 years earlier. Allen retaliate against Allen's pleas and drafted his old friend and former player Mike Ditka instead.

Allen was in a short time with the Canadian Football League when he was hired by the Montreal Alouettes as president and chief operating manager on February 19, 1982. Allen also agreed to purchase 20% of the team, with the possibility of becoming the majority shareholder. Allen resigned three months later after continuing financial challenges and a change in majority ownership from Nelson Skalbania to Harry Ornest soured Allen on the situation.

Allen joined the Chicago Blitz of the fledgling United States Football League on June 21st year as the city's first-owner, chairman, and head coach. In 1983, the Blitz were regarded as the early favorite to win the league's inaugural title, in part because Allen assembled a roster brimming with NFL veterans. With a 12–6 record, the team tied for first, but they lost the tiebreaker that made them the wild card team. The Blitz took a commanding 38–17 lead in their playoff match against the Philadelphia Stars before a late comeback brought the game to overtime, where Chicago lost by a 44–38 score.

The Blitz were involved in a bizarre transaction in which the entire franchise was effectively exchanged for the Arizona Wranglers, two months after it was defunct. Ted Diethrich, the team's poor attendance figures, was dissatisfied with the team's poor attendance numbers. When Wranglers owner Jim Joseph decided to get out after suffering significant losses of his own, he found it. The Diethrich/Allen group sold the Blitz to James Hoffman, who then purchased the Wranglers from Joseph. Diethrich and Hoffman managed a cash exchange that culminated in the 1983 Blitz roster moving virtually en masse to Arizona, while the 1983 Wranglers migrated to Chicago. Allen, who stayed on his roles as a member-owner, chairman, and head coach, was thereby able to keep a large portion of a roster that had been considered NFL-caliber.

Allen's Wranglers struggled early in 1984 before finishing with a 10–8 record and another wild card spot. Arizona made a comeback to beat the Houston Gamblers 17-16 in the first round of the playoffs. The Wranglers won the Western Conference final last week, defeating the Los Angeles Express 35-23. However, the streak of triumph came to an end in the USFL Championship Game, when Arizona was shut down in a 23–3 loss.

Allen resigned from his position with the team in September 1984 after the Wranglers' financial difficulties necessitated drastic budget reductions.

In 1990, after many years out of the public eye, he accepted a one-year appointment to mentor at Long Beach State University. Allen's mentoring program, which had only 11 wins out of 24 losses in the previous three seasons, reacted angrily to Allen's mentoring with a 6–5 record.

Following Allen's death, the team lasted one season under Willie Brown in 1991, then canceled the football program.

Allen was considered one of football's most difficult-working coaches. Some have been credited with popularizing the teaching style of 16-hour (or longer) workdays. He slept at the Redskin Park complex he designed. Allen's need for complete organizational control and his wild spending habits could cause friction between him and the team's owners, whom he worked for. "George was given an unlimited budget and he surpassed it," Redskins President Edward Bennett Williams said once more. Carroll Rosenbloom said, "I made a serious mistake of decision in assuming George could work within our framework" in Allen's second stint as the Rams' head coach after only two preseason games in 1978. "He had infinite power and exceeded it." Allen was also known for his hysteria, and he'd often believe that his operations were spied upon and that his offices were bugged. Ed Boynton, the first coach in the NFL, went so far as hiring full-time security guards to keep potential spies away from patrolling the woods outside Redskin Park.

Allen was known to eat ice cream or peanut butter for several meals because it was convenient to eat and saved time so Allen could get back to preparing for the next game, as shown by NFL Films. Allen kept in shape as a mentor and would run several miles each day. He did not curse, smoke, or drink, but rather began drinking milk regularly (some suspected that the always-strung coach was threatening to die from ulcers). Coach Allen will later be named by President Ronald Reagan to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It's interesting to note that wide receiver Roy Jefferson (an armchair coach) once "recommended" the team for an end-around game. Allen agreed, opting to play against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1971 NFC Divisional playoff game. Jefferson was tackled by Cedrick Hardman of the 49ers for a 13-yard loss on the play, a game in which the Redskins lost by four points by four points.

Allen, a veteran coach, was known for his tendency to prefer rookie players over younger players and younger players. The team was nicknamed the "Over-the-Hill Gang" in Allen's early days with the Redskins, owing to the predominance of players over the age of 30, such as quarterback Billy Kilmer. Allen, a Redskins assistant, traded for or acquired many players, including Jack Pardee, Richie Petitbon, Myron Pottios, John Wilburn, George Burman, and Diron Talbert, resulting in the Redskins' nickname in those days as the "Ramskins." Allen is often described as "the future is now." Allen made 131 trades as an NFL coach, 81 of which occurred during the seven years he was the Redskins' head coach.

Allen was also known for emphasizing special teams football, and he became the NFL's first coach to deploy a special teams unit, Dick Vermeil, 32, in 1969. (Jerry Williams hired Marv Levy a month later) Allen brought Levy and Levy to Washington in 1970, shortly after Vermeil went to UCLA. Allen coaxed George Burman, the Rams' long snapper, out of retirement, bringing him to Washington for the primary purpose of being the NFL's first modern specialist long snapper. Sam Wyche was introduced as a specialist long snapper during the 1971 preseason.

Allen's coaching career culminated in the creation of numerous high-profile special teams coaches and others. Vince Papale, the 1976, super bowl champion of the St. Louis Rams, was a standout figure, and the Chiefs coached return great Dante Hall. Levy led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, while Steve Tasker, the Bills' greatest special teams coverage man, was on display. Bill Belichick's first NFL coaching gig was given to him by Allen's longtime offensive assistant Ted Marchibroda. Both Vermeil and Levy will keep Frank Gansz, who Vermeil described as "the best special teams coach ever."

Allen had the third-best winning percentage in the NFL (.681), behind Vince Lombardi (.736) and John Madden (.731). He also never led an NFL team to a losing season. This was particularly true in the case of the Redskins, who had only achieved over.500 in the first 15 seasons (1969, under Lombardi) before Allen's arrival.

Allen was best described as a defensive innovator and a motivator. He was a pioneer in the use of advanced playbooks, well-organized drafts, the use of special teams, and daring trades for veterans over new players. He is also responsible for starting the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins rivalry. In his career, he was 7-08 against the Cowboys.

Allen was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2002, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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