Allen to be inducted into NCHSAA Hall of Fame
CHAPEL HILL He may now work on the gridirons of Green Bay and Foxborough on Sunday afternoons, but before reaching the NFL level Lumberton native Brad Allen spent decades calling games on the fields and courts closer to home as a local high school sports official.
That work will be recognized by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association later this year when Allen is inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
I think that anytime that you start getting inducted into Halls of Fame, its either that you have relied on the expertise of others a lot, or youve been around a really long time.
I think that both of those come into affect, Allen said.
To start out as a 15-year-old little dude who was umpiring little-league baseball in Robeson County, North Carolina, now to be in this prestigious Hall of Fame, frankly its beyond my comprehension, I have to pinch myself quite a bit.
This will be the third Hall of Fame that Allen has been inducted into in the span of about a year; he was also inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame, which recognizes successful individuals in sports in Eastern North Carolina, and the UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame at his alma mater.
Allens selection to the NCHSAA Hall of Fame was unanimous.
The induction ceremony will be held Aug.
16 at the Embassy Suites in Cary.
Ticket information is forthcoming.
I really would like to thank the coaches, the student-athletes and the officials with whom I worked at the youth and high school level for so many years, Allen said.
Allen began officiating little-league baseball games locally at age 15, and by 1991 was calling local high school games, continuing in that role in some capacity for the next three decades.
His career progressed to the college and pro levels of football officiating working for the South Atlantic Conference in NCAA Division II from 2000-03, the ACC in Division I from 2004-14 and the NFL since 2014, just completing his 11th season in the league but he still continued to officiate some high-school and middle-school games on the side, working a high-school baseball game as recently as 2021.
He still worked our middle school games, and he always told us if you get in a bind, basketball, baseball and football, Im available, said Ronnie Chavis, a former coach and athletic director at Purnell Swett and former Public Schools of Robeson County athletic director who was involved in the selection process.
It gave all the kids a big-time approach to have Brad Allen call their games.
Chavis, himself an NCHSAA Hall of Famer, informed Allen of his selection.
In turn, as each inductee is introduced by another Hall of Fame member, Allen has asked Chavis to introduce him at the ceremony.
Allens involvement with the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association has gone beyond on-field officiating, serving two terms as the associations president and leading numerous officiating clinics.
He was regional basketball supervisor for the SAOA from 2012-18 and has served on numerous state boards.
Allen was the NCHSAA Golden Whistle recipient in 2009, the states highest award for officials.
He has also been a Dick Knox Service Award honoree in baseball, basketball and football and was the Morris Walker Developmental Award recipient in 2011, both also from the NCHSAA.
He has earned numerous high-level officiating assignments including four state championships in baseball, three in basketball and one in football, along with the East-West All-Star football game and the Shrine Bowl.
His work outside the NCHSAA has included assignments to the 2012 Rose and 2014 Sugar bowls while with the ACC, and hes earned six NFL playoff assignments including this Januarys Packers-Eagles Wild Card game.
His day job is as CEO of the North Carolina Senior Games.
Many officials including myself, I was very fortunate to be able to work with Brad, said Anthony Maynor, a longtime local official who is now the SAOAs basketball supervisor, who describes Allen as his mentor.
He was always firm and very professional, and he always challenged young officials to do the right thing, especially when were out there representing the SAOA and the NCHSAA.
And he just demonstrated to myself and others, time and time again, thats he an exceptional communicator and hes a gifted teacher.
Hes a better person than he is as an official, and hes a top-notch official so that tells you what kind of person he is, Chavis said.
He has the respect of everybody that comes in contact with him.
While others shower praise on Allen as he receives the recognition, he is quick to deflect the praise to both the officials he learned from and to his support system at home.
Its not so much recognition for me, Allen said.
Its recognition for Leon Maynor and Alphonzo McRae Jr., and my mom and dad and (wife) Twilla and (daughter) Abigail, and Neil Buie and Elmer Musselwhite Jr.
and Pete Carter.
Some of those people who are no longer with us, but I dont like to sit around and think about recognition for myself, because its not about me; its about all the people who sacrificed and put in their time, their energy, their effort in order to make sure that I could have some small role in all the games Ive been a small part of.
Other members of the Class of 2025 include: Thomas Tommy Cole, former basketball and golf coach at Graham and Williams; Jerry Hunter, former coach and athletic director at East Duplin; Tim Kelly, former basketball coach at Trinity; Richard Prince, former coach at Independence, Myers Park, Piedmont, East Mecklenburg and Western Carolina University; Steve Spivey, former tennis coach at Cary, Broughton, Myrtle Beach, Apex and Enloe; Doyle Whitield, former baseball coach and athletic director at Southern Wayne; and Russell Woodward, former coach, athletic director and principal at Grimsley, Ben L.
Smith, Northwest Guilford and Ragsdale.
Sports editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected].
You can follow him on X at @StilesOnSports..
This article has been shared from the original article on robesonian, here is the link to the original article.