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Show i: ':V' 1 .J - - v ! .jS-;:4 .. . , ' ! i x r ""' - ' I : I : ; I ! j if 7 9' MM ' x ft r 1 1 V i , , i As a star in the early '60's at the University of Utah, Allen led the Utes in rebounding his senior year. John Allen of Bountiful shows replica of a plaque he received at his induction into the Potomac State Hall of Fame. At Potomac State j Bountiful's Allen honored by alma mater i i By TOM HARALDSEN j Sports Editor j BOUNTIFUL John C. Allen, a long-time Bountiful resident who i was a basketball standout at the University of Utah in the early i 1960's, was one of 11 athletes in- ' ducted into the Potomac State Col- ! lege Hall of Fame during cere monies two weeks ago. Allen, a native of West Virginia, was a star:on the Catamount bas- : ketball squad at Potomac State, which is located at Keyser, West Virginia. The 1 1 inductees are the i inaugural group into the newly formed Hall of Fame at the two-year two-year college. Allen had originally planned on i attending George Washington Uni- i versity, but enrolled at Potomac upon the recommendation of coaches at GWU. He stayed there for two years, then was recruited j by and transferred to the Universi ty of Utah, where he played during the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. He began his basketball career at Fayetteville High School, averaging averag-ing 21.1 points per game, scoring 1 ,227 career points and earning all-county all-county honors in 1959. During his freshman year at Potomac State, he averaged 20.3 points in regular season scoring, and the Catamounts had a 26-5 team record, including a school-record school-record 24 game winning streak. The Catamounts also earned their first Tri-State Conference and tournament championships. They repeated those feats during Allen's sophomore year, finishing 20-11, winning both titles while Allen averaged 19.9 in season and 29.6 in the tournament. At the University of Utah, Allen's junior year saw the Utes finish 23-3. He started 11 games, and was the team's third leading rebounder. His senior year saw him elected a co-captain, average 10.6 points per game and led the Utes in rebounding with an average of 7.2 per game. He was all conference both years at Potomac, and received the VFW "Citizenship Award" in 1961 from the Nancy Hanks Post 3518. In 1963, he also received the Paul James Award for leading rebounder rebound-er at the U. of U., and was UP1 honorable mention AU-WAC. Off the court,. Allen served as studentbody president at Potomac State during 1960-61, was a member mem-ber of Sigma Phi Omega, the Circle K Club and ROTH Military Honor Society. During his first year, the Catamounts were ranked number three in the nation among small colleges. col-leges. Allen was one of several Potomac Poto-mac State alumni who've gone on with collegiate or professional sports careers. Others honored included in-cluded San Diego Padres starter John Kruk; Gene Guarilia, who went on to play at George Washington and for the Boston Celtics for 14 years; and Harley Orrin Staggers, who served as a U.S. Congressman from West Virginia Vir-ginia for 41 years. Allen's 1139 career points at Potomac State remains re-mains the school's record. Today, he is president and owner own-er of Larsen Investment Company in Bountiful. He serves on the board of directors of Weber Basin Water Sub-conservancy District, is a member of the Mayor's Education Educa-tion Committee and Golf Course Committee, has been chairman of the South Davis County Heart Fund, served on the Bountiful City Board of Adjustments for 10 years and was named "Outstanding Young Man" by the Bountiful Jaycees. He is also lead statistician for the Utah Jazz. He lives in Bountiful with his wife Sheryl and their four children. Cougars in that event this year. Bev was selected for an at-large berth in all-around for the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Tempe, Ariz., last year, placing21st. She is also an outstanding student, having made the HCAC Academic Team each of her two years, and being named a Cougar Club Academic Athlete both years as well. While not as famous as the women's gymnastics program at rival University of Utah, the BYU program has made tremendous strides each year, improving every season. Bev has two years of eligibility eligi-bility left at BYU. |