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Randy Allen was once a young, accomplished basketball player, winning the hearts of Altoona fans with some of the finest high school hoops this area has ever witnessed.
Allen, who passed away Aug. 21 at the age of 74, was a 1970 graduate of Altoona Area High School under first-year head coach John Swogger.
As a sophomore in the program, I experienced a regime change that would revolutionize Altoona basketball with a streaking, high-powered fast-break offense, delighting a devoted fan base that often packed the historic Jaffa Mosque (now Jaffa Shrine).
In his high school senior year, Allen was selected to the UPI all-state first team.
At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he was chosen as an NAIA second team All-American, leading the Indians (now Crimson Hawks) to the quarterfinal round of a 32-team national championship tournament in Kansas City.
He was then drafted by the NBA Phoenix Suns in the fourth round, surviving until the final roster cut.
Allen's nickname growing up was Apple. His favorite player was NBA all-star Walt "Clyde" Frazier of the great 1970 and '73 world champion New York Knicks.
Randy displayed the same cool demeanor on the hardwood like his basketball idol did along with equal gracefulness and smooth ballhandling skills.
Randy's faith was of paramount importance in his life.
Upon graduating from IUP, he played one year of basketball for Athletes in Action (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ). He also worked the following year for the Coalition for Christian Outreach before moving to Los Angeles, serving as a longtime associate pastor at Bethel Baptist Church.
At his 2000 Blair County Sports Hall of Fame induction, Randy was presented by his coach, John Swogger, who expressed deep, passionate emotion.
Trying to hold back tears, Swogger said, "Let me introduce a guy who I have a very special love for ... He's one in a million."
Randy's acceptance speech was brief but powerful, filled with humility and gratitude.
He said in part, "I've been tremendously blessed, and ultimately all glory and honor, I believe, belongs to the Lord. After all, he's the one that allowed me to be born to Frances and Percy Allen, the greatest mom and dad a son could ever want. He's the one that allowed me to be raised in the loving and caring community of the Fifth Ward. And he's the one that makes me glad to say, 'Yes, I'm an Altoonian and proud of it!'"
Allen still remains the apple of IUP's eye.
"When Randy Allen completed his Indiana University of Pennsylvania basketball career, he did so as one of the most talented, respected and admired student-athletes ever to enroll at the university," according to the IUP Athletics Hall of Fame.
Though he had lived most of his life more than two thousand miles from Altoona, it can be said that Randy "Apple" Allen had never fallen far from his ancestral tree, as he will forever be remembered and rooted deeply in the rich history of our community.
Galen Bickel resides in Altoona.