PSU Magazine Spring 1988

-----·PERSONALITY·----- Life between the yard lines F ootball isn't always fun. The preparation is difficult and demanding. Pressures on coaches and players can be enormous. And one crucial mistake can spell the difference between success and failure. For Portland State Head Football Coach Ernest "Pokey" Allen, that makes football a lot like life. By Clarence Hein "To play football," Pokey Allen says, "you have to be able to interact with a lot of different people. You h ave to be disciplined and work in the team. It's the same as a business." Allen's "business" was very success– ful last year: a record of 11-2-1 (PSU's best ever), a trip to the NCAA national playoffs (PSU's first ever), and an appearance on national television (another first). Last year, football in the Park Blocks was nearly a coach 's dream come true. "I've been associated with some good teams," he says, "but never o ne that went that far. Once we proved that we could hold our own with teams like Idaho and Montana, it began to get exciting. Good h abits, like bad hab– its, are tough to break. So once we got on a roll it became easier to keep winning." Not bad for a guy who didn't plan to be a football coach. PSU MAGAZINE PAGE 12 Allen grew up in Montana, the son of a football-playing father from whom he inherited the nickname, "Pokey." "They called me 'Little Pokey' as a kid and I haven't been able to shake it." As an all-star quarterback and safety at the University of Utah, Allen had his eyes set on playing profes– sional football. After that, he thought, a career as a stock broker or in real estate. He did land a spot with the British Columbi a Lions of the Cana-