Longtime Voice of the Cajuns Don Allen Passes Away at 76
Don Allen, whose career broadcasting Ragin' Cajuns Sports spanned four decades, passed away Wednesday in Katy, Texas, at the age of 76.
An Oklahoma native, Don served along side the original "Voice of the Cajuns", Ron Gomez, before assuming the lead broadcast role when Gomez ran for public office and served as the main play-by-play voice until 2001.
"Don Allen witnessed and reported years of Ragin' Cajuns athletic successes and challenges," said University President Dr. E. Joseph Savoie. "He was always passionate, yet clear-eyed. In short, he was a professional. Don had an engaging and authoritative voice and fans relied on his analysis and opinions. But most of all, he was a good guy and fun to be around."
Don was witness to some of the great moments in Ragin' Cajuns Athletics history, beginning in the early '70s when the Cajuns were ranked in the Top 20, the Great Alaskan Shootout Championship in the 1981-82 season and the upset of nationally-ranked Texas A&M at Cajun Field in 1996.
"Most knew Don from his years of play-by-play for Cajuns athletics and he had immense play-by-play talents," said Dan McDonald, a recent inductee to the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame. "But he was far from being just a sports announcer. He was so intelligent and so well-read that he could speak knowledgably on a huge variety of subjects outside of sports, as his daily radio shows on KPEL proved. He never hesitated to speak his mind about subjects he was passionate about, and those of us who were close to him always admired that passion."
An accomplished writer, Don also wrote a regular column "Out of Bounds" for the Times of Acadiana, and "He Said, She Said" with longtime partner, the late Patricia Gannon.
"I think every long time Cajuns fan is hurting today," said Jay Walker, who worked side by side with Don before assuming lead broadcasting duties. "Don was there for so many memorable moments in Cajuns history. He was articulate, passionate and, perhaps most importantly, always accurate. I was a fan of his for many years before we started working together and, in the ten years we spent as a broadcast team, I learned so much from him. He had so much wisdom and his willingness to share it is something I'll always be grateful for."
Don was also the lead announcer for the Cajuns' NCAA basketball appearances in 1982, 1983, 1992, 1994 and 2000.
Don is survived by his sons Chris and Sean, daughter Shannon and his grandchildren.
"This is a huge loss for all of us who were around during those years," McDonald added. "He was so synonymous with local radio and USL athletics and, for those of us who were there, we'll cherish those memories."
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