Football

November 22, 2006

Tiger Defensive Lineman Selected to Play in Division III All-Star Game

The 5-foot-9, 226-pound Allen will play with a group of NCAA Division III all-stars against the Mexican national team. The American Football Coaches Association is sending the Division III standouts to Mexico for the 10^th consecutive year. Former Widener, Delaware Valley and LaSalle coach Bill Manlove will serve as the USA head coach this year.

The Aztec Bowl has been played 35 times since 1947 with the last nine contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. The United States has won eight of the nine meetings, including a 53-15 victory last year. Mexico won the 2003 game 34-31.

Allen is the sixth Trinity player to compete in the bowl game. Previous Tigers who traveled to Mexico were: quarterback Mike Burton, 1999; linebacker John-Paul Visosky, 2000; offensive guard Bill Smith, 2001; defensive end Jarrod Smith, 2003; and quarterback Dan DesPlaines, 2004.

Two former Team USA members, London Fletcher and Clint Kriewaldt, are currently playing in the National Football League. Fletcher, who played collegiately at John Carroll and was a member of the 1997 U.S. team, is a member of the Buffalo Bills. Kriewaldt was the Detroit Lions’ 1999 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and played in the 1998 Aztec Bowl. He is currently a member of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.      

The game will be Web cast live at www.aztecbowl.com.

Allen completed the season with 51 tackles, including 11 solo. He accounted for 5.5 tackles for a loss of 21 yards, three sacks (16 yards), four quarterback hurries, one recovered fumble and one forced fumble.

He recently was elected to the All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team for the third straight year. Allen was named 2006 Preseason All-American by Football Gazette and D3football.com.  He made Football Gazette’s All-America First Team and the Second Team from D3football.com. Lindy’s selected Allen for the 2006 All-D3 Defense Second Team. In 2005, Allen was selected for the Football Gazette All-America Second Team and D3football.com Honorable Mention Team.

Trinity, led by head coach Steve Mohr, completed the season with an 8-2 record. The Tigers were SCAC runners-up with a 5-1 mark.