Lee Dale Allen (December 28, 1934 – June 11, 2012) was an American

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

and wrestling coach.

Biography

Lee Dale Allen was born on December 28, 1934. Originally from St. Francis, Kansas, Allen and his family moved to

Sandy, Oregon Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, settled 1853 and named after the nearby Sandy River. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood Corridor, a ...

(near

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

) during the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

in 1938. Being a star athlete in high school (winning four state titles), and college level (attending

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

), Allen competed in two

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

(1956, 1960). He is one of two of the only American wrestlers to make an Olympic Team in both Freestyle (1956) and Greco-Roman (1960). Allen was named the assistant coach of the 1972 and the 1976 USA Greco-Roman Olympic Team and was named the Head Coach for the 1980 Olympic Greco-Roman Olympic Team, which was later boycotted(

1980 Olympic Boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...

). Finally settling down in

El Granada, California El Granada is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the coastal area of northern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 5,481 at the 2020 census. The village is named for the city of Granada, Spain. Geography El G ...

, he coached

Skyline College Skyline College is a public community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have gr ...

San Bruno San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to Sa ...

for over 30 years, helped start BAWA (Bay Area Wrestling Association) and began the first women's wrestling program at

Menlo College Menlo College is a private college specializing in business and is located in Atherton, California. Campus Menlo College is situated on 45-acre (0.18 km2) campus in Atherton, California, 25 miles southeast of San Francisco and 20 miles nort ...

. Allen's two daughters (Both alumni of

) are also wrestlers. He was able to coach both his daughters through college where they both earned a pair of national titles and Most Valuable Wrestler awards as well as earning a Coach of the Year award himself (2009) presented by the WCWA (Women’s College Wrestling Association). In May 2010, Allen announced his retirement as Head Woman's Wrestling Coach at Menlo College. The Beijing Olympian,

Marcie Van Dusen Marcie Van Dusen (born June 25, 1982 in Lake Arrowhead, California) is an amateur female American freestyle wrestler, who competed for the women's 55-kg category at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is a two-time U.S national and world t ...

, was named the new Head Woman's Wrestling Coach for Menlo College. "We are extremely fortunate to hire someone of Marcie's caliber to continue the great tradition left behind by Lee Allen," Menlo College Athletic Director Keith Spataro said. "We are pleased to be the first intercollegiate wrestling program to hire a female head coach and, in doing so, set the trend for many others to follow." Allen died on June 11, 2012 at the age of 77.

Wrestling career

World Team Member: * 1961 (Yokohama, Japan) – Freestyle (; 6th place) World Team Coach: * 1973 (Tehran, Iran) – Greco-Roman * 1977 (Goteborg, Sweden) – Greco-Roman * 1978 (Mexico City, Mexico) – Greco-Roman * 1979 (San Diego, Calif., USA) – Greco-Roman Olympic Team Member: * 1956 (Melbourne, Australia) – Freestyle (; dnp) * 1960 (Rome, Italy) – Greco-Roman (; 8th place) Olympic Coach: * 1980 (Moscow, U.S.S.R.) Hall of Fame Inductions: * 1997 – Portland State University Hall of Fame * 1998 – San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame * 2001 – California Wrestling Hall of Fame * 2003 – Skyline College Hall of Fame * 2007 – AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame * 2011 – Oregon Chapter National Wrestling Hall of Fame * 2013 – California Chapter National Wrestling Hall of Fame * 2018 –

National Wrestling Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stillw ...

References

; Sources
"Olympic history"
TheMat.com. * https://web.archive.org/web/20080726202545/http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/romario/912/gnews87.htm
Retiring Allen Hands Women's Wrestling to Olympian VanDusen

* ttp://www.menloathletics.com/coach/0/13.php "2011-12 Women's Wrestling Coaches" Menloathletics.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Lee 1934 births 2012 deaths Olympic wrestlers of the United States Wrestlers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1960 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers Oregon Ducks wrestlers People from Sandy, Oregon Wrestlers from Oregon People from San Mateo County, California People from St. Francis, Kansas