John C. Allen

John C. Allen (May 21, 1907 – August 17, 1979) was a roller coaster designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters which began in the 1970s. He attended Temple University. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by 1954. He has designed over 25 coasters and has made significant contributions to roller coaster technology. He once said, "You don't need a degree in engineering to design roller coasters, you need a degree in psychology."

Surviving John Allen Coasters

Name Location Built
Jet Flyer/Sea Dragon Gooding Zoo Park/Wyandot Lake/Jungle Jack's Landing 1956
Skyliner Lakemont Park 1960
Starliner Miracle Strip/Cypress Gardens 1963
Giant Coaster/The Wild One Six Flags America 1963
Blue Streak Cedar Point 1964
Swamp Fox Grand Strand Park/Family Kingdom 1966
Cannon Ball Lake Winnepesaukah 1967
Shooting Star Lakeside Park 1968
Zingo Bell's Amusement Park 1968
Racer Kings Island 1972
Scooby Doo/Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster Kings Island 1972
Great American Scream Machine Six Flags Over Georgia 1973
Rebel Yell Kings Dominion 1975
Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster Kings Dominion 1975
Screamin' Eagle Six Flags St. Louis 1976