He played college football for the Central Dutch and Iowa State Cyclones and was selected in the 13th round of the 1971 NFL draft by the Cardinals.
[4] He attended Central College in Iowa for one year, 1967, being a top halfback for their football team, with performances that included posting 284 yards in one game.
[11] He finished his three-year stint at Iowa State as their all-time leading kick returner with 1,549 yards.
[20] This would be the only game of his career, as he subsequently suffered a leg injury, missed the entire 1972 season after being placed on injured reserve, and was released in July 1973 after failing a physical.
[21][22][23] After his release from the NFL, Allen went on to play minor league football with the Lake County Rifles.