Dan Allen (American football)

Dan Allen
Sport(s) Football
Biographical details
Born 1956
Died May 16, 2004 (aged 48)
Playing career
1974–1977 Hanover
Position(s) Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1978
1982–1989
1990–1995
1996–2003		 Dayton (assistant)
Holy Cross (assistant)
Boston University
Holy Cross
Head coaching record
Overall 63–95

Statistics

Accomplishments and honors

Championships

1993 Yankee Conference Champions
1993 Lambert Cup winner

Awards

1993 ECAC Team of the Year
1993 Division I-AA Team of the Year
1993 AFCA Coach of the Year
1993 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
1993 Yankee Conference Coach of the Year
1993 Greater Boston Coach of the Year
2× New England Coach of the Year (1993, 2000)

Daniel L. "Dan" Allen (1956 – May 16, 2004) was the head college football coach at Boston University from 1990 to 1995 and at the College of the Holy Cross from 1996 to 2003. Allen began his coaching career at the University of Dayton as a graduate assistant where Allen earned a master's degree in 1979. He then served as an assistant coach at Holy Cross from 1982 to 1989 before moving on to his first head coaching job at Boston University. After a six-year stint for the Terriers, Allen finished his coaching career back at Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders before being fired following a 1–11 campaign.

Boston University's 1993 Cinderella season

Allen's most successful season as a coach came in 1993 with Boston University. Between 1990 and 1992, the Terriers football team had combined to win 12 total games versus 21 losses. Heading into the 1993 season they had been picked to finish near the bottom of the Yankee Conference standings. What happened instead turned out to be one of the single biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division I-AA football history.

The Terriers began their season with a 45–0 win over the University of Maine; this sparked the momentum that would carry through the rest of the regular season as Boston finished with an unblemished 11–0 record (8–0 Yankee). It is the school's only undefeated season and it had set a new high mark for wins as well. The Terriers earned their first Division I-AA playoffs berth in many years. In the first round game, the Terriers defeated the Kurt Warner-led Northern Iowa Panthers, 27–21, in double overtime. The season would end one week later in the quarterfinals against Idaho when they lost 21–14. Both the 2003 Boston team and Allen himself garnered national recognition, awards and accolades for their Cinderella season.

In 1994, the Terriers once again performed well and finished with a 9–3 record, making the 1993 and 1994 seasons' combined overall record 21–4, which is the best two-year span in Boston University history.

Personal

Dan Allen was married to his wife Laura and had three children together: Mark, Taylor and Danielle. He died on May 16, 2004 by succumbing to complications of multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome.

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Rank#
Boston University Terriers (Yankee Conference) (1990–1995)
1990 Boston U. 5–6 4–4 6th
1991 Boston U. 4–7 3–5 5th
1992 Boston U. 3–8 2–6 8th
1993 Boston U. 12–1 8–0 (New England) 1st L 14–21 Division I-AA Quarterfinals
1994 Boston U. 9–3 6–2 (New England) 2nd L 23–30 Division I-AA First Round
1995 Boston U. 3–8 1–7 (New England) 11th
Holy Cross Crusaders (Patriot League) (1996–2003)
1996 Holy Cross 2–9 1–4 6th
1997 Holy Cross 4–7 2–4 4th
1998 Holy Cross 2–9 1–5 7th
1999 Holy Cross 3–8 2–4 5th
2000 Holy Cross 7–4 4–2 2nd
2001 Holy Cross 4–6 3–4 5th
2002 Holy Cross 4–8 2–5 7th
2003 Holy Cross 1–11 1–6 8th
Total: 63–95
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.

External links