Vince Allen

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Vince Allen
Personal information
Born (1955-05-13) May 13, 1955 (age 70)
Richmond, Indiana
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school Richmond HS
College Indiana State
Position(s) HB
Career history
As player
1978 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1979 Ottawa Rough Riders*
*Offseason and/or practice roster only.

Vincent "Vince" Allen (born May 13, 1955) is a former gridiron football running back who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He played in three games during the 1978 CFL season. He played college football at Indiana State University for the Sycamores.

Contents

Early career

Allen attended Richmond High School and went on to play college football for the Indiana State Sycamores. [1]

College career

Allen played for the Indiana State Sycamores from 1973-1977; he gained over a thousand rushing yards in each of his four seasons, finishing up his playing career with a school-record 832 carries for 4,335 yards. He holds the Indiana State record for most 100-yard career rushing games (26) and most consecutive 100-yard rushing games (14), while adding the most career touchdowns scored (33) for the Sycamores. He also holds the record for most "all-purpose" yards, 940 plays for 5,435 yards.

Professional career

In the middle of the 1978 season, running back Jimmy Edwards of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss multiple games. Allen was signed by the Tiger-Cats to replace Edwards in the starting lineup, but commentators expected him to be cut or face a minimal role after Edwards recovered. [2] [3] Allen played three regular season games with the Tiger-Cats, rushing for 145 yards on 34 carries, including for one touchdown. He also played a role in the passing game, making six catches for 78 yards. As a return specialist, Allen contributed 10 punt returns and four kick returns. He found some success returning punts and kicks, including a 35-yard punt return, but the Tiger-Cats did not retain him as an active player to continue in this role. [1]

Allen was signed by the Ottawa Rough Riders for 1979, and he played in the preseason. He proved productive as a receiver in the preseason, including five catches for 48 yards against the Montreal Alouettes, and he was reported to make a "favorable impression" on the coaching staff. [4] [5] Despite this, he was cut from the roster before the start of the regular season. In late July 1979, cornerback Mike Nelms of the Rough Riders sprained his ankle, and Allen was re-signed to the roster to return punts. [5] [6] He never played in a game for the Rough Riders. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Maher, Tod; Gill, Bob (2013). The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012. Maher Sports Media. p. 144. ISBN   978-0983513667.
  2. ↑ Goodman, Jeffrey (August 11, 1978). "Ballard unhappy with quarterbacks Ticats gain reprieve". The Globe and Mail.
  3. ↑ Goodman, Jeffrey (August 21, 1978). "Ticats will try newcomers in battle against Ottawa". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ↑ "Als roar back to down Rough Riders". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. June 13, 1979.
  5. 1 2 "Hurting Riders forced into changes". The Globe and Mail. July 30, 1979.
  6. ↑ York, Marty (July 31, 1979). "Ottawa secondary weaker than last week Argonaut receiver hopes to be target for Adams". The Globe and Mail.
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