Josh Nathanial Allen (born December 30, 1991) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
. He played
college football at the
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System.
History
ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Ce ...
and attended
Cedar Hill High School
Cedar Hill High School (CHHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in the city of Cedar Hill, Texas ( USA) in Dallas County and is classified as a 6A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Cedar Hill Independent School District located ...
in
Cedar Hill, Texas
Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. Per the 2020 United Stat ...
. He has been a member of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
,
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
,
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
,
Arizona Hotshots
The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their h ...
, and
Dallas Renegades
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne ...
.
Early years
Allen played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...
for the
Cedar Hill High School
Cedar Hill High School (CHHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in the city of Cedar Hill, Texas ( USA) in Dallas County and is classified as a 6A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Cedar Hill Independent School District located ...
Longhorns. He earned first-team all-district honors in 2009 and was selected to play in the Team USA vs. World All-Star Game. He helped lead the Longhorns to the 2008 and 2009 district championships. Allen played tackle and center his senior year. He also
lettered
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
in powerlifting and track & field.
College career
Allen played for the
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks (ULM Warhawks) are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). ULM currently fields 15 varsity teams (six men's and nine women's) in 11 sports, and competes at the ...
from 2010 to 2013.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Allen signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
on May 12, 2014, after going undrafted in the
2014 NFL Draft
The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...
. He was released by the Buccaneers on August 31, 2014.
Green Bay Packers
Allen was signed to the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
' practice squad on September 3, 2014. He was released by the Packers on September 23, 2014.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)
Allen was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad on September 25, 2014. He was promoted to the active roster on November 29, 2014.
He made his NFL debut on December 14, 2014, against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. Allen was cut by the Buccaneers on September 1, 2015. On September 2, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve. On September 9, 2015, he was waived from injured reserve. On November 18, 2015, Allen was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad. On January 5, 2016, Allen signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers.
On September 3, 2016, Allen was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts. The next day, he was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 22, 2016. He was released on December 10, 2016.
San Francisco 49ers
Allen was claimed off waivers by the 49ers on December 12, 2016. He was released on December 21, 2016.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (third stint)
On December 27, 2016, Allen was re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 2, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017.
Calgary Stampeders
Allen was signed to the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third ...
' practice roster in October 2017.
Arizona Cardinals
On January 2, 2018, Allen signed a reserve/future contract with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
. He was waived on September 1, 2018.
Arizona Hotshots
In 2019, Allen joined the
Arizona Hotshots
The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their h ...
of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
. The league ceased operations in April 2019.
Dallas Renegades
Allen was drafted in the 6th round in phase two in the
2020 XFL Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social ...
by the
Dallas Renegades
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne ...
. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
References
External links
Think NFL life's fair? Josh Allen says 'hello'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Josh
Living people
1991 births
American football centers
Canadian football offensive linemen
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
Players of American football from Dallas
Players of Canadian football from Dallas
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Green Bay Packers players
San Francisco 49ers players
Calgary Stampeders players
Arizona Cardinals players
Arizona Hotshots players
Dallas Renegades players
21st-century African-American sportspeople