PSU Magazine Spring 1988

dian Football League but his playing days were limited to three seasons as backup quarterback. "I was cut after a very mediocre career," he says with a laugh, "and became a stock broker in Vancouver." He had entered the business phase of his career earlier than he expected. He also left it earlier. "It was a bad market at that time and when the head coach at Simon Fraser asked me to coach defensive backs, I figured that being a poor football coach was better than being a poor stock broker." Over the next nineteen years Allen sharpened his coaching skills with stints at the University of Montana, California at Berkely, and the Los Angeles Express of the U.S. Football League. He was an assistant coach with the Portland Breakers when the USFL folded in 1985. He replaced Don Read at Portland State the following year. P okey Allen is a soft spoken, congenial man who says the head coach's job is simple if not easy: "Basically, the head coach hires good assistant coaches and lets them work." Alan Borges, the Vikings' offensive coordinator for the past two years under Allen, says, "He's not the kind of guy who's going to interfere a lot as long as you get results." Allen also sets the tone for the football program, somehow intense and relaxed at the same time. Says Borges, "Pokey's philosophy is to keep things on an even keel, game in and game out. He helps us deal with the pressures of football as well or better than any program I've ever seen." "These peopl,e are between 18 and 22 years old. They 're going through rapid change and it's tough on them and h " toug on you. That sentiment is echoed by quar– terback Chris Crawford. "He worries about kids putting too much pressure of themselves," Crawford says, point– ing to the days just prior to the national championships. "Coach Allen called a few of us who he felt might be doing that and told us to relax and just do our jobs. He went out of his way and it helped." Borges points to a "family sense" which Allen creates. "He sets a wel– coming atmosphere that caters to all kinds of people." There are frequent barbecues and gatherings on Allen's Portland houseboat as well as an understanding by the players that the head coach is someone you can talk with. Quarterback Crawford is particu– larly appreciative of that. "He has helped me a lot in playing football and in looking at things I do Allen, flanked by the 1986 football team, remains calm and supportive during games. PSU MAGAZINE PAGE 13 in school and in life," Crawford says. "I know that sounds like a story book, but I can go in and talk with him about a lot of things. He's always there to help people out, notjust as a head coach but as a friend. " Allen says coaching is a combina– tion of teaching and counseling. "These people are between 18 and 22 years old. That's a difficult time of life. They're going through rapid change and it's tough on them and tough on you dealing with them." The players and assistant coaches agree that Allen has a definite positive outlook - the glass is always half full , not half empty - and it carries over to his very successful efforts to recruit good student athletes to Portland State. Allen speaks to dozens of civic and social groups as well as to students and families during the year, always stress– ing the opportunities at Portland State. "What makes him successful is that he is sincere," Borges says. "He believes in this institution and he loves Portland." It is not uncommon for Allen to out-recruit Division I schools for exceptional athletes. He attributes the recruiting success more to the advantages of Portland State than to his salesmanship. "I always start out talking about the aca– demics, the campus and the facilities," he says, warming quickly to the topic. "First of all, we're academically sound and we have programs in every academic area. Remember, athletics is a vehicle to something else that is more important - an education." He continues listing the virtues of the university, leaning forward in his chair, his manner indicating that it would be absolutely unbelievable for his audience to dispute what he says. "Physically, this is a beautiful cam– pus. Absolutely beautiful. And it's in the city of Portland which I think is a great selling point. The urban univer– sity is the university of the future . Schools like Berkely, UCLA, and Washington are proving that, and in Oregon, Portland State is the univer– sity that is going to make waves." Continued on page 27