Former Wabash player: “Tom Allen has always been the same guy.”
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
CRAWFORDSVILLE — Long before he made the Indiana Hoosiers relevant on the football field, Tom Allen was working his way up through the ranks, and bringing the same passion you’re seeing now at each and every stop along the way.
It all started in 1992 at a high school in Florida. A few stops later, Allen ended up at Ben Davis as a defensive coordinator in 1998, where he then became Head Coach, leading Ben Davis to a 25-12 record from 2004-2006. Here’s video proof of Allen being the same guy no matter where he was coaching:
And then in 2007, Allen moved up to the college ranks, and ended up at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana- one of the best Division 3 football programs in the nation. He served as the Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach. Though he was only a Little Giant for one year, he made quite an impression.
I spoke with JT Moore, a wide receiver and kick returner for that Wabash team. Just like Allen’s current players, Moore had nothing but high praise for the passionate coach.
“He brought so much energy and intensity,” Moore said. “Coach Allen understood that playing college football was just a small time frame of our lives. He took the time to get to know his players on more than a surface level. He would ask how school was going, and how your family was. He always made sure you knew that his office door was always open to come and chat about anything.”
Moore continued: “It is amazing to see his success at IU. The best thing about watching is seeing all his players hugging him and attacking him while he talks after games, saying they love him, because I know it’s not fake. I know it is not just because they are winning. He truly loves his players, his coaches, and everyone associated with the program- all the way down to the ones filling up the water bottles.”
Maybe the most impressive thing about Tom Allen is his desire to win while still focusing on the players and program first. “Coach Allen wants to win football games,” Moore said. “But that is not why he coaches. He wants his players to leave his program and be better men, better brothers, better sons, and to become great husbands. What you see in the locker room and after the games is not fake. Losing sucks, but when you lose playing for a coach like Coach Allen, it stings a little worse, because you play for him and the team, not for yourself. That is the biggest change I see that has happened down in Bloomington. Those players and coach love one another and he has brought that family culture to IU football.”
After Wabash, Allen spent time at Lambuth, Drake, Arkansas State, Ole Miss, and South Florida, before joining the Hoosiers in 2016. Allen’s (now famous) motto for IU football is “LEO”, which stands for Love each other. Long before the current success at Indiana, Allen was inspiring that love for one another within the program. It has meant everything to a program that has been desperate for success, and desperate for a leader like this.
The fan base has waited such a long time for any kind of success, let alone success of this magnitude. Fans love to see their teams win- but it’s even sweeter when they have a group of people they can believe in. Tom Allen paid his dues, did things the right way, and now the whole world is seeing what he’s all about. We can all learn from Coach Allen: Work hard, treat people well, live each day with passion- and good things will follow. #LEO
