Missing A Friend And Legend

Some days are better than others and Thursday turn out to be one of the others when I learned of the death of Daryl Allen long time high school football coach of Ahoskie High School and later when Murfreesboro and Ahoskie High became one.  He is the eighth all time winningest high school coach in North Carolina winning 305 while losing only 118 in his 36 year coaching career.

Allen came to Ahoskie my senior year in high school of 1970 and spent one year as an assistant to his college friend Al Vaughn who retired with two state titles at the end of the 1971 school year.  The football season of 1971 Allen became head coach and that was my first year in the radio booth as the color man for Ahoskie Football.

After following Jack Young  1947-1963 with three state titles and Vaughn's two the community opinion was Daryl Allen was to soft spoken to possibly continue the tradition of Ahoskie football.  Four times he took the Cougars and when it became HC to four state title games.  Allen coached when it took five wins to win a title and his 72 percent winning  also includes a 74 per cent playoff record.

In 1977 when I took over the play by play duties Allen allowed me access to watch game film on Sunday nights when all the coaches watched game film.  I wanted to be prepared what to expect from Ahoskie's opponent  as well as what we were going to do and Daryl Allen taught me the game of football listening him dissect game film.


I walked in his office one spring and he tells me he is going to run the Radar defense this upcoming season.  He tells me that his nose guard on defense will only be 160 pounds and from a three point stance the opposing lines will push him around.  He says the radar all 11 defensive players stand up allowing for their speed.  That year the defense gave up 36 points during the regular season.  Year by year he adapted to what his players could play not what style he knew, he knew them all and what type player it would take to play it.

I heard him only cuss twice at a practice during the 17 years  I was on the practice field and in both instances he stop practice to apologize  for his language.  He taught me there was more ways to teach football than yelling .  Over the years since moving to Rocky Mount my visits with him have been few and far between.

I feel privileged to have been able to be a part of a football program with Daryl Allen having been involved.    He surly helped me become a better broadcaster teaching me football.  Allen's funeral will be Saturday at 2pm at Ahoskie First Baptist. Daryl Allen was 76 years old.