He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL draft.
A 1970 graduate of Los Angeles High School, Allen played college football at Pierce College and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Allen played for the Steelers for four seasons, where he was a member of their Super Bowls IX & X teams.
Briefly homeless at one time, Allen lived in southern California.
This biographical article relating to an American football defensive back born in the 1950s is a stub.