Vincent "Vince" Allen (born May 13, 1955) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

running back who played for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the Canadian Football League. He played in three games during the

1978 CFL season The 1978 CFL season is considered to be the 25th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 21st Canadian Football League season. The league drew 2,229,834 fans to its 72 regular season games, a record that would stand ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Indiana State University for the Sycamores.

Early career

Allen attended Richmond High School and went on to play

for the

Indiana State Sycamores The Indiana State Sycamores are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic teams of Indiana State University. Since the 1977–78 academic year, Indiana State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The Indiana State foot ...

Professional career

In the middle of the 1978 season, running back Jimmy Edwards of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss multiple games. Allen was signed by the Tiger-Cats to replace Edwards in the starting lineup, but commentators expected him to be cut or face a minimal role after Edwards recovered. Allen played three regular season games with the Tiger-Cats, rushing for 145 yards on 34 carries, including for one touchdown. He also played a role in the passing game, making six catches for 78 yards. As a return specialist, Allen contributed 10 punt returns and four kick returns. He found some success returning punts and kicks, including a 35-yard punt return, but the Tiger-Cats did not retain him as an active player to continue in this role. Allen was signed by the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

for 1979, and he played in the preseason. He proved productive as a receiver in the preseason, including five catches for 48 yards against the Montreal Alouettes, and he was reported to make a "favorable impression" on the coaching staff. Despite this, he was cut from the roster before the start of the regular season. In late July 1979, cornerback

Mike Nelms Michael Craig Nelms (born April 8, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1980 to 1984. Before ...

of the Rough Riders sprained his ankle, and Allen was re-signed to the roster to return punts. He never played in a game for the Rough Riders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Vince Living people 1955 births American football halfbacks Canadian football running backs Indiana State Sycamores football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Ottawa Rough Riders players Players of American football from Indiana Players of Canadian football from Indiana Sportspeople from Richmond, Indiana