Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Oklahoma State Mourns the Passing of Dr. Tom Allen
October 18, 2023 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State Medical School Dean at OSU-Tulsa and longtime Cowboy wrestling physician Dr. Tom "Doc" Allen passed away this week.
Allen found the sport of wrestling in 1975 when he started a kids wrestling program in Western Springs, Illinois. He assisted the principal of McClure Junior High as the program took root with his seven-year old son as one of the first participants. Eventually, Allen became the wrestling physician for Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois, before holding the same position for both Camden and Sterling high schools in New Jersey from 1987-91.
In 1991, Allen relocated to the state of Oklahoma to become Vice President for Health Affairs at Oklahoma State and Dean of its College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Cowboy wrestling staff and served with Dr. Don Cooper on the bench as a doctor, despite his many academic responsibilities.
When Cooper decided to cut back on some his duties in 1995, Allen took over the team physician role with wrestling. Allen moved on from his role as Dean of the Medical School in 2003, but remained on head coach John Smith's staff as the team physician until 2020.
Allen played a key role while on Smith's staff, as OSU won four NCAA team titles and 25 individual NCAA championships, in addition to 108 Cowboys earning All-America honors.
For his many years of devotion to the sport of wrestling, Allen was honored with the Lifetime Service Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.
"Dr. Allen played a great role for a lot of years for our wrestling program," Coach Smith said. "He was a good friend, and I just wasn't prepared for him to be gone, but I'm very grateful that I got to spend so much time with him. He really made a difference in how I looked at a lot of things and he wasn't just a team doctor. He was a great friend to a lot of young wrestlers, as well as several of my staff members and myself. He will be missed."
Allen found the sport of wrestling in 1975 when he started a kids wrestling program in Western Springs, Illinois. He assisted the principal of McClure Junior High as the program took root with his seven-year old son as one of the first participants. Eventually, Allen became the wrestling physician for Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois, before holding the same position for both Camden and Sterling high schools in New Jersey from 1987-91.
In 1991, Allen relocated to the state of Oklahoma to become Vice President for Health Affairs at Oklahoma State and Dean of its College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Cowboy wrestling staff and served with Dr. Don Cooper on the bench as a doctor, despite his many academic responsibilities.
When Cooper decided to cut back on some his duties in 1995, Allen took over the team physician role with wrestling. Allen moved on from his role as Dean of the Medical School in 2003, but remained on head coach John Smith's staff as the team physician until 2020.
Allen played a key role while on Smith's staff, as OSU won four NCAA team titles and 25 individual NCAA championships, in addition to 108 Cowboys earning All-America honors.
For his many years of devotion to the sport of wrestling, Allen was honored with the Lifetime Service Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.
"Dr. Allen played a great role for a lot of years for our wrestling program," Coach Smith said. "He was a good friend, and I just wasn't prepared for him to be gone, but I'm very grateful that I got to spend so much time with him. He really made a difference in how I looked at a lot of things and he wasn't just a team doctor. He was a great friend to a lot of young wrestlers, as well as several of my staff members and myself. He will be missed."
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