Ranger Exes Memorial - RHS Class of 1953 RJC

Jack Allen COACH JACK ALLEN, 80, of Lake Leon, TX passed away May 27, 2016, in Fort Worth, TX, with interment in Desdemona Cemetery at Desdemona, TX. Coach Allen was born on July 28, 1935, in Ranger, TX to the late Robert & Bea Needham Allen. He married the love of his life, Linda Ann Greenhaw, in July of 1966. Jack attended Ranger High School in the Class of 1953. He graduated from Sam Houston State University earning his Bachelor of Science in 1963 and a master's in 1973. Jack's coaching career began in 1963 at Ranger Jr. College where he coached for 23 years earning numerous awards, including two national championships in 1973 and 1978. His 1975 team finished fifth and his 1976 team finished third in the nationals. Jack also won seven regional championships and nine conference titles. Coach Allen was elected into the 1986 Junior College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and NJCAA and the ABCA Baseball Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1978. After retiring from Ranger Junior College, Allen took three years off before taking over the Tarleton State University head coach position in 1989. "I missed the association with the kids and I missed the competition," Allen said. He led the Texans to consecutive 40-win seasons and was named the NAIA District 8 and Area II Coach of the Year in 1992. Coach Allen earned his 1,000th career win in 1995 and led Tarleton to its first NCAA II Regional Playoff. Jack earned many awards while coaching at Tarleton before his retirement in 2002. Of all the awards that Coach Allen earned, he will be remembered as a great coach and father figure to his players whom he loved and who loved him. Coach Allen was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Tarleton State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2009. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Bobbie Lee Gunn (RHS-1937). Survivors: Wife of 50 years, Linda Ann Allen of Lake Leon; mother-in-law, Dorothy Greenhaw of Desdemona; brother-in-law, Morris Greenhaw and wife, Pat, of Desdemona; nephew, Brandon Greenhaw and wife, Karen, of Glen Rose; niece, Diana Greenhaw of San Francisco; and great-nephews, Evan and Marcus Greenhaw. Former baseball players of Jack Allen Former baseball players of Coach Allen attending his service. Article in the Ranger Times (2001)-Jack Allen, Head Coach For Tarleton State head coach Jack Allen, a new baseball season is simply another challenge to conquer. This season -- Allen's 36th in coaching and 13th at the Tarleton helm -- will be no different as he looks to guide the Texans on their quest for another Lone Star Conference South Division title. The veteran skipper, who sees coaching as a challenge similar to "piecing together a never-ending puzzle," has overcome plenty of challenges in his coaching career. And, he has the hardware to prove it. A longtime junior college coach, Allen has amassed an impressive 1,201-684-3 record in his 35 years, including a 387-285-3 mark over the past 12 campaigns with the Texans. While at Tarleton, his teams have won two LSC divisional titles, one Texas Inter- collegiate Athletic Association championship and one NAIA District 8 crown, in addition to earning one NCAA regional berth. Allen, who took over the Tarleton program prior to the 1990 season, put together an enviable record of 814-399 in 23 seasons with Ranger Junior College. Included in those totals are nine conference championships, seven regional championships, and four state championships. Allen coached Ranger's program to junior college national championships in 1973 and 1978. Success has been constant at Tarleton ever since Allen arrived, even though the Texans' program was just two years old at the time. Allen, who was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame prior to the 2000 season, has led the Texans to eight 30-win seasons, including five in the past seven years. He turned the young program into a well-respected NAIA power, and the past seven years have seen him do the same at the NCAA Division II level. Tarleton made its big breakthrough in the Division II ranks in 1998 as Allen led the Texans to the South Central Regional Tournament. That marked the first-ever NCAA appearance for any Tarleton team since the school moved its membership in 1994. Allen garnered LSC South Division Coach of the Year honors that season, having led the Texans to a second-place league finish and postseason appearance. He earned league Coach of the Year acclaim again in 1999 after guiding Tarleton to the South Division title and a second-place finish in the LSC postseason tournament. In 2000, the Texans again won the South Division crown and qualified for LSC postseason play for a third straight season, sending a message to conference opponents that Allen and his troops were here to stay. Allen's tenure at Tarleton started in 1990 when he led the Texans to a 29-20-1 record. That was followed by consecutive 40-win seasons, which resulted in him being named NAIA District 8 and Area II Coach of the Year in 1992. His 1991 team posted a 41-22 record while winning the TIAA title and finishing third in NAIA District 8. The '92 squad enjoyed a first-place finish in District 8 and was second in Area II after compiling a 41-27 mark. The Texans won 36 games and finished as District 8 runners-up in 1993 before posting a 26-26 record in '94, which remains Allen's only non-winning season as Tarleton's skipper. In 1995, he guided Tarleton to a second-place finish in its initial year in the Lone Star Conference. Also during that season he became just the 19th collegiate coach to record 1,000 victories. After going 30-26 in 1996 and 27-24 in '97, the Texans turned the corner in 1998 and have been a force in the LSC and South Central region ever since. During his time at Tarleton, Allen has coached 24 first team All-Lone Star Conference players and seven All-Americans. He earned his 300th win at Tarleton with a 3-2 decision over Texas A&M-Kingsville that put Tarleton in the 1998 LSC Champion- ship game, and his 1200th overall coaching victory came last year against Eastern New Mexico. A native of Ranger, Allen graduated from Ranger Junior College in 1956 and spent two years playing professional baseball before earning his bachelor's degree at Sam Houston State in 1963. He then returned to Ranger as head baseball coach and remained in that post until 1985. Allen, who was selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1986, received his master's degree from Sam Houston State in 1971 and his teaching certificate at Tarleton in 1989. Aside from his coaching duties at Ranger, Allen has worked as a part-time scout since 1973 with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres. He has been a member of the Stephenville Optimist Club and Ranger Lions Club, he served 10 years on the Ranger City Commis- sion and he was director of the Ranger Boys Club in addition to working four years as mayor of the city of Ranger. In his profession, he is past president of both the Texas Junior College Baseball Coaches Association and the National Junior College Baseball Coaches Association, a member of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, United States Baseball Federation, American Baseball Coaches Association, and the Ex-Pro Baseball Players Association of Texas. He has been honored by Ranger Junior College with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1974, by the National Junior College Athletic Association with a Distinguished Service Award in 1985, and as Baseball Coach of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers in 1973, National Junior College Athletic Association in 1973 and 1978, and the America Association of College Baseball Coaches in 1973 and 1978. Jack, 65, and his wife, Linda, reside at Lake Leon, TX.