PASTTENSE Coach Pokey Allen rides herd on PSU football Ernest “Pokey” Allen, head football coach from 1986 to 1992, took the Vikings to NCAA Division II national prominence, winning five Western Football Conference titles. His flair for promotion increased interest in PSU football when he sometimes let fans call pass or run plays. He also appeared on TV ads being shot from a cannon or riding an elephant. Allen compiled the best winning percentage of any PSU football head coach, was named Oregon Coach of the Year for 1987-88, and was inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Allen died of a rare form of cancer at age 53 in 1996. —FromPortland State: A History in Pictures Past Tense features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu.
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