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Sunday, July 1, 2007
Former QB's Challenges Spawn Top Gun Event
Western Arkansas, AR
By: Rhett Lashlee
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Photo(s) By: submitted
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There may be no tougher job in the state of Arkansas than being the starting quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. It is an awesome honor and responsibility, and it requires exceptional talent and relentless mental toughness. Jason Allen is someone who took hold of that responsibility in the early 1990’s, and he gave the Razorback fans a lot to cheer about.
Allen was a high school football star long before he arrived at Arkansas. In the fall of 1987, as a sophomore he was thrown into the fire during the second half of a loss in the state championship game at Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. He led the Memorial Bulldogs to a 10-0 regular season record his junior year, and after starting 1-2 his senior year he led the Bulldogs on an 11-game winning streak to capture the school’s first and only state championship.
Allen credits a lot of his success in football and life to his high school coach, and current Greenwood head coach Rick Jones. “Coach Jones has been one of the most influential men in my life,” Allen said. Jason finished his high school career with a 23-3 record as a starter.
Jason went on to play quarterback at the University of Arkansas from 1990-94. He became the starter by the third game into his red-shirt freshmen season, and led the Razorbacks to a 5-1 record including dramatic come-from-behind wins over Houston and arch rival Texas in Little Rock, 14-13.
However, Allen probably displayed the most character when he suffered a devastating loss. I remember sitting in the stands as an eight-year-old boy on a snowy day in Fayetteville as I watched Allen scramble down the Razorbacks’ sidelines, get hit going out of bounds, and in the process blow out his knee.
Allen displayed his undeniable toughness in rehab just as he did as the leader on the field. He went on to letter all four years of his career as a Razorback, and he credits a lot of his success during that time to quarterback coach Charlie Weatherbee. “He got me in a mindset to believe that I could play at that level, and that’s a big part of it for young kids.”
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