Hall of Fame
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Joe Allen achieved his success on the court despite playing his entire Bradley career with a rigid brace on his left leg that extended from mid-thigh to mid-calf.
After undergoing a routine surgery on his left knee during Christmas break in his freshman season, he developed a post-procedure infection that nearly cost him his leg. When he reported back to campus forty pounds lighter than when he left, he was fitted with a custom cloth brace with laces and steel hinges that severely minimized his range of motion in his knee.
Overcoming the resulting pain and the lack of mobility, Allen played out the remainder of his freshman campaign, capped by a 23-point, 12-rebound effort against the Bradley varsity that would provide a preview of the three seasons to come.
An undersized, 6-foot-6 center from Carver High School, he went on to average 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds during his three-year varsity career and set the school’s career field goal percentage record (.602).
In addition to averaging 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in six career matchups against Louisville great Wes Unseld, he averaged 25.5 points on 60.5 percent shooting from the field in consecutive 1967-68 games versus #1 UCLA (Lew Alcindor) and #2 Houston (Elvin Hayes).
A member of Bradley’s 15-player Team of the Century, Allen is one of seven basketball Braves to have his uniform number (31) retired. In an era of freshman ineligibility, he remains the sixth-leading scorer (1,763 points) and rebounder (865) in program history. In fact, his career scoring total still ranks fifth all-time among three-year varsity players in Valley history.
Although he was the leading scorer during the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team trials, his lack of mobility did not mesh with the fast-paced style coach Henry Iba had planned for the Mexico City Games. He enjoyed a lengthy professional playing career in Europe and was three-time MVP of the Italian Professional League, earning an audience with Pope John Paul II.
Allen returned to Bradley as an assistant coach for Joe Stowell’s Braves from 1972-77 and was working for Peoria Public Schools District 150 in 1997, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 51.