One of a handful of NFL players that the Miami Valley can claim, Allen returned to Wayne last week to pitch the benefits of his Quest for Real Life Success program, the core of his Will Allen Foundation.
Allen, 28, is married to Nakeyia (Worley) Allen, a Chaminade Julienne graduate. They reside in Tampa, Fla.
Here’s what he had to say about some timely subjects.
Q: What was your NFL draft experience?
A: It was a hard and difficult day because you didn't know what to expect. But also exciting, because you didn't know what to expect. I had a lot of friends and news outlets at my house. The disappointing thing is I didn't get drafted the first three rounds (went to Tampa Bay in the fourth). It's one of those things in life that you really don't know what to do or how to handle it.
Q: What about leaving the Buccaneers for the Steelers?
A: I was a free agent. It was a great fit in Pittsburgh. (Head coach) Mike Tomlin was my defensive backs coach in Tampa and we have a great relationship. To be reunited with him and to be a part of the Rooney family and the Pittsburgh legacy that they have was a no-brainer. And the possibility to win championships on a professional level? I couldn't pass that up.
Q: How lucky are you to have played in a high school state final, BCS championship and Super Bowl?
A: Some guys have won all three (like former OSU teammate Mike Doss). Even though I've been in all three, I want to win at least two of those. I've been a blessed man.
Q: Did you keep up on Wayne and Braxton Miller last season?
A: Oh, yeah. It was interesting because I used to go to Trotwood and they made it to the state championship game and I went to Wayne and we made it to a state championship game. To see them both there, it was a dream come true for me. I saw the Trotwood game but I didn't get to see Wayne.
Q: How do you explain Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and events since last December?
A: I have nothing but great things to say about him because he's always helped and pushed me outside of football. Not disclosing information was sensitive because you're trying to protect the players and you try to handle everything in-house. That's how it works across the U.S. when it comes to sports, period. I think he was innocent to a fault. But you have to be held accountable for your actions.
Q:
Backing up Troy Polamalu must cut into your playing time.
A: I have no argument. He's a great player. He does stuff on the field that you can't figure out. He's a sweet man and he's a kind-hearted person. He's the most humble person you'd ever meet.
Q: Does he really use Head & Shoulders?
A: I don't know about that.
Q: Ever had a concussion?
A: Had one this year (against the Bengals) for the first time in my life and missed two games. I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand up. My eyes were fluttering. I was tackling somebody on a punt return and my head hit their hip. I've hit my head plenty of times, but never had anything like that.
Q: What's the mood about the NFL lockout?
A: Everybody just wants the deal to be done. It's a shame that we're so divided in a sport that's so loved. Let's set the standard for the generation to come, because the generation before us did.
Q: Your leaving Trotwood-Madison for Wayne opened the area's transfer floodgates. What was that like?
A: I was 17 at the time. I'd been on varsity for three years and had been playing with the same group of guys since we were in the third grade and we were always winning. That 2000 (T-M) class had so much talent. Everybody always talked about us in the community, how great we would be. We always had a dream: We're going to make it to college, to the pros. At a young age, we always thought like that. But the (T-M) administration didn't support that. Too many egos were involved.
My senior year, I said, I’m tired of this. We went 0-10; 5-5 and 3-7. We got all this talent, but nobody’s ever getting any recognition, nobody’s ever in the paper. The only thing you heard about Trotwood was negative. I thought, that’s not what I’m about. You want me to be faithful to a fault, but there’s much more than what’s happening here. I’m not going to keep perpetuating a system of negativity.
There were some internal things that were going on that didn’t allow the kids to shine. That bothered me; it bothered my dad. I had four different high school coaches; three different athletic directors, if that’s telling you anything about the system that was in place.
There were no (transfer) rules. After I left, all these rules were implemented because everybody was upset and nobody wanted to see a super team with transfers again. I came to Wayne because I was picking up a tape there. I came over here, sat down. I thought, look at this place. This is where I need to be. They are cultivating athletics. They are pushing people in academics and athletics and they got a great support system. This is what it always should have been at Trotwood.
A lot of great kids got left behind at Trotwood. That’s kind of what pushes and fuels me to do what I do today.
Q: Was there resentment of your leaving Trotwood?
A: You wouldn't believe. It was tremendous. All my friends. People who graduated from Trotwood before me who were so loyal who didn't go through the things that I went through thought, well, he's a traitor. It was one of the toughest decisions that I had to make at a young age, but I had to do it.
Q: Has time helped soothe hurt feelings?
A: Oh, yeah. People understand now. They see what Maurice Douglass is doing now with those kids and getting them into school and really pushing kids. Now you see kids at Trotwood being the top players in the state. Guys are going to Michigan, Wisconsin. Guys are going all over. I'm like, why wasn't that happening 10 years ago? Because you've got somebody who cares about the kids.
He cares about them academically and he cares about them athletically. He cares about what they’re doing outside of football and the kids harbor that; they love that. They want to play for him. That can propel kids to be great and we didn’t have that.
You think Trotwood has talent now? Not even close to what we had.
Q: What's better, beating the Ravens, Michigan or Centerville?
A: It's equal. All three are rivals and you hate them all equally. I understand now about the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. It's very violent and heated, but it's fun and it's good and you have a lot of respect for those guys after the game. Same thing at Centerville and Michigan.
Q: Trent Cole (Xenia), Javon Ringer (CJ), Kurt Coleman (Northmont), A.J. Hawk (Centerville), Nick Mangold (Alter), Kris Dielman (Troy), Mike Nugent (Centerville), Matt Light (Greenville), Brandon McKinney (CJ/Trotwood) and yourself all in the NFL. What does that say for Dayton-area football?
A: That says a lot. We pump out more talent here than probably anywhere in Ohio besides maybe the Cleveland area. All those guys I've either played with or against at some point. Every time we play against each other I make sure I say "hey" and we speak. It's special.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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