Football
- Title:
- Assistant AD/Director of Football Operations
- Email:
- football@msu.edu
- Phone:
- 355-1647
Allen oversees the day-to-day operations and budget of the football program. His duties include coordinating team travel, bowl game preparations, game management, future scheduling and facility updates to the Skandalaris Football Center. He also oversees the entire football operations staff, graduate assistants, interns and all student employees.
In addition, Allen serves as Dantonio’s liaison to the equipment staff, training room, video department, field maintenance and all athletic administration, and oversees the yearly football calendar of events.
Allen has extensive experience working in bowl games and was named to the Rose Bowl Advisory Committee in 2018.
During his tenure at MSU, the Spartans have won three Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015) and played in 10 bowl games, including three consecutive Bowl Championship Series/New Year’s Six appearances (2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton, 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at Cotton Bowl). In addition, the Spartans have finished in the final national polls seven times.
Allen previously spent 19 seasons on Glen Mason’s coaching staff at Kansas (1988-96) and Minnesota (1997-2006).
Allen came to Michigan State following 10 years at Minnesota where he served as assistant athletics director for football operations. During his tenure, the Golden Gophers made seven postseason bowl appearances, including five straight trips from 2002-06, and finished ranked among the nation’s Top 25 on two occasions (1999: ESPN/USA TODAY No. 17 and Associated Press No. 18; 2003: No. 17 ESPN/USA TODAY and AP No. 20). From 1999-2005, Minnesota averaged better than seven wins per season (50 total).
Before going to Minnesota, Allen previously worked 11 seasons at Kansas, where he spent time working together with Dantonio and co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Dave Warner. Allen began his time at KU as a defensive graduate assistant in 1986 before being promoted to administrative assistant for football operations in 1987. He was retained when Mason became the Jayhawks’ head coach in 1988. During his stint in Lawrence, Allen was part of one of college football’s most dramatic turnarounds as Kansas recorded a pair of Aloha Bowl victories (1992 over BYU and 1995 over UCLA) and two Top 25 finishes (1992: AP No. 22 and United Press International No. 23; 1995: No. 9 AP and No. 10 UPI). While at Kansas, he served as the academic liaison for football and organized the on-campus recruiting efforts in addition to his other football operations duties.
From 1982-85, he worked as an assistant football coach (wide receivers, 1982-83; defensive backs/special teams coordinator, 1984-85) and admissions counselor at his alma mater, Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. In October 2003, Allen and members of the 1984 Threshers’ football team that posted an undefeated regular-season record (9-0) en route to winning the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Championship and finishing second in the NAIA Division II final rankings were inducted into the Bethel College Athletic Hall of Fame.
A native of Seneca, Kansas, Allen earned two letters as a wide receiver and was elected team captain as a senior at Bethel College. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in health, physical education and recreation from Bethel College in 1986.
Allen and his wife Rochelle have four children: Brett, Brianna, Brooke and Brandon.
THE ALLEN FILEÂ
YEARS AT MICHIGAN STATE:Â 12th. Joined staff on June 13, 2008, from Minnesota.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE:Â College - Wide receivers coach (1982-83) and defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator (1984-85) at Bethel College; defensive graduate assistant (1986), administrative assistant for football operations (1987) and director of football operations (1988-96) at Kansas; assistant athletics director for football operations at Minnesota (1997-2006).
EDUCATION:Â Bachelor of Science in health, physical education and recreation from Bethel College in 1986.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:Â College - Two-year letterman as a wide receiver at Bethel College.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:Â Coach - 1984 NAIA Division II playoffs, 1992 Aloha Bowl, 1995 Aloha Bowl, 1999 Sun Bowl, 2000 MicronPC.com Bowl, 2002 Music City Bowl, 2003 Sun Bowl, 2004 Music City Bowl, 2005 Music City Bowl, 2006 Insight Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl, 2015 College Football Playoff (Cotton Bowl), 2017 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Redbox Bowl.
