Allen Brothers

Students, Athletes and Pioneers

The Allen Brothers; Orin, Hardy, Cecil, and Duane together are arguably the greatest athletic family to ever attend Mt. SAC.  Their pioneering accomplishments and accolades on and off the field, set these four brothers in a class by themselves.  Each brother was a pole vaulter (during some part of their career), an outstanding student-athlete, but it was their personal  character and integrity that allowed each of them to create their own success stories beyond Mt. SAC.

The Allen family grew up in the suburb of Alhambra, California and attended Mt. SAC in the 1950s.  Their Allen Brothers pioneering spirit was rooted in them by their father, Thomas C. Allen.  In 1932, he and James Herman Banning became the first African American Airmen to fly transcontinental from Los Angeles to New York, in a Alexander Eaglerock Biplane.  

Orin Allen attended Mt. SAC from 1951 to 1953.  He became the first of a long tradition of State Championship Winning Mt. SAC Pole Vaulters in 1952.  Along with his pole vaulting prowess, Orin was a star football player and also competed in the hurdles and long jump.  In 1953, with the support of Mt. SAC and the Pomona Community, Orin traveled to New Jersey to compete in the U.S. National Decathlon Championships, where he placed 5^th behind future Olympic Champion, Milt Campbell and Olympic Pole Vault Champion Bob Richards (previous year’s decathlon champion, 2X Pole Vault Gold Medalist) who placed first and second respectively.  After Mt. SAC, he transferred to U.C. Davis and was a star track and football athlete for the Aggies.  After graduation, Orin serveded in the youth rehabilitation field in Contra Costa County for 35 years.  The Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility in Contra Costa County is named in his honor.  Orin is a proponent of education and has served his community in various capacities which included 24 years on the Pittsburg Unified School District Board. 

Hardy Allen attended Mt. SAC from 1952 to 1954 studying jet propulsion and commercial art.  After an outstanding career as a high school football player, Hardy joined the cheer and basketball teams during his first year at Mt. SAC.  During his sophomore year he continued playing basketball and he returned to the gridiron for the Mounties. After Mt. SAC, he spent two years in the Army and then became a truck mechanic.  After meeting Dan Gurney, Hardy eventually entered the Indy car racing world helping Gurney build his soon to be famous All-American Racers Inc. firm in Santa Ana, where he became a renowned mechanic.  In 1970, he became the first black Indy Car Pit Crew Chief for Dan Gurney’s number 48 Eagle-Offenhauser.  A racing pioneer, he is credited for developing radio communication in racing helmets with Bell Helmets.  Through the years, Hardy has helped/pitted for many renowned drivers and riders including A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Roger De Coster (motocross), Al Gunner (flat track), Al Teague (land speed record) and Luis Hamilton (Formula 1).  Today he continues working in the industry, as a Chassis Engineer with the McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team in England.  

Cecil Allen attended Mt. SAC from 1954 to 1956.  He ran the hurdles, quarter mile and pole vaulted, eventually representing Mt. SAC at the 1956 Olympic Trials.  After qualifying at a national AAU event, Cecil placed fourth in the semi-finals heats at 53.2 seconds.  After Mt. SAC, Cecil transferred to U.C. Davis.  Cecil enjoyed a career in the aerospace industry as a computer troubleshooter.  He passed away in 2011.

Duane Allen attended Mt. SAC during the 1956-57 school year.  Like his older brothers, he was a pole vaulter and competed in various events on the track team and was a member of the 1957 state championship track and field team.  It was on the gridiron where Duane excelled most,  and played football, earning JC All-American honors in 1956.   After Mt. SAC, he transferred to U.C. Davis to join his brothers.  Duane was drafted by the NFL in 1961 and had a 7 year career playing with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears.  Five of his first seven professional receptions with the Rams were for touchdowns.  After retiring from the NFL in 1968, Duane became the first black professional football coach when he guided the Las Vegas Cowboys of the Continental Professional League.  In retirement, Duane coached high school football and track at Mark Keppel High School (Alhambra, CA), was active in the Special Olympics, sang oldies music at various clubs, and acted.  He appeared in Tango and Cash, Mandingo and in the television series, Law and Order.  Duane Allen passed away in 2003, at the age of 65.

For their pioneering accomplishments on the field and in life, Mt. SAC proudly inducts the Allen Brothers into its Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of 2015.