Carl Allison (June 2, 1933 – December 3, 2013) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach of football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. He was a four-year starter for coach

Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

from 1951 to 1954, finishing his career as the team captain of the undefeated

1954 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1954 Oklahoma Sooners football team (variously "Oklahoma", "OU", or the "Sooners") represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1954 college football season, the sixtieth season of Sooner football. Led by eighth-year head coach Bud Wilkin ...

. He also played four years for the baseball program from 1952 to 1955. Of Allison, Wilkinson wrote, "I never hope to coach a finer football player (than Allison). Carl started every game we have played the last four years. He was never late to practice, never hurt, never sick. He was a fine captain. He is a straight B student. In reliability and character he stands at the very top of our squad. We could always depend on him to do his job well. "I don't mean to take anything away from our other more-publicized boys but I've never seen a better all-around football player, nor a more reliable one, than Carl Allison." Allison was also chosen for Notre Dame coach

Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to ...

's all-opponents team in both 1952 and 1953. He was later named to the Oklahoma Sooners 1950s All-Decade Team. Allison was selected in the 22nd round of the

1955 NFL draft The 1955 NFL draft was held January 27–28, 1955 at the Warwick Hotel in New York City. This was the ninth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous eight winners ineligible from the draw, onl ...

by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, coached by

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (February 2, 1895 – October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear", was an American professional football end, coach, and executive. He was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), ...

. Straight from Allison's brief time with the Chicago Bears, he became the head football coach at Clinton High School in

Clinton, Oklahoma Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 8,521 at the time of the 2020 census. History The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, decided to locate a town i ...

, compiling a record of 24–16. He then became the head football coach at

Harding University Harding University is a Private university, private Christian university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas, United States. Established in 1924, the institution offers Undergraduate education, undergraduate, Postgraduate education, gradu ...

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statisti ...

from 1959 to 1963, reinstating a program that had not competed since 1931. After re-establishing that program and turning it over to his top assistant and fellow Oklahoma native John Prock, Allison returned to work in 1964 and 1965 for Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners as a scout. He then later returned to Harding as baseball coach. Allison later became a preacher at White's Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, Louisiana.

Head coaching record

College football

College baseball

References

1933 births 2013 deaths American football ends Harding Bisons baseball coaches Harding Bisons football coaches Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Oklahoma Sooners football players High school football coaches in Oklahoma People from Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Coaches of American football from Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma Baseball coaches from Oklahoma American members of the Churches of Christ {{1950s-collegefootball-coach-stub