Zock Allen
{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
| position1 = Linebacker
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|06|12}}
| birth_place = Madisonville, Texas
| death_date =
| death_place =
| college = Texas A&M–Kingsville
| high_school =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lbs = 220
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|1991}}–{{CFL Year|1994}}
| playing_team1 = BC Lions
| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|1994}}
| playing_team2 = Las Vegas Posse
| playing_years3 = {{CFL Year|1995}}
| playing_team3 = Saskatchewan Roughriders*
| career_footnotes =
| career_highlights =
}}
Zock Alexander Allen (born June 12, 1968) is a former gridiron football linebacker who played for the BC Lions and the Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League. From 1991 to 1994, he played in 27 regular season games, recording 119 tackles, four sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He played college football for the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas.
College career
Allen played college football for the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas, earning letters in 1989 and 1990.{{cite web | url=http://www.javelinaathletics.com/sports/2013/11/8/FB_1108135314.aspx? | title=Letter Winners | work=JavelinaAthletics.com | access-date=June 30, 2017}} He led the team in total tackles with 101 during his senior season in 1990.{{cite web | url=https://issuu.com/kelvinqueliz2/docs/2015_fb_media_guide/107 | title=2015 Texas A&M University-Kingsville Football Media Guide | publisher=issuu | work=Texas A&M University-Kingsville | date=2015 | access-date=June 30, 2017 | pages=105}}
Professional career
Both Willie Pless and Alondra Johnson, two of the BC Lions' starting linebackers in 1990, did not return to the team in 1991.{{cite news|last1=Rauw|first1=Murray|title=CFL West: Ham key to Eskimos|work=Calgary Herald|date=July 9, 1991|page=D6}} The BC Lions signed Allen in May 1991 to compete for one of these spots.{{cite news|title=DEALS|work=USA Today|date=May 24, 1991|page=15C}} Despite suffering a bruised knee during the preseason, Allen succeeded in making the active roster.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Leo coach left with decisions, decisions|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 6, 1991|page=H3}} He struggled in July and August, with Lions head coach Bob O'Billovich saying "he's been a step or two away all the time on pass coverage".{{cite news|last1=MacIntyre|first1=Iain|title=Holmes, the ordinary all-star, comes to the defence of Lions|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=August 24, 1991|page=E1}}{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Lions juggle defence for SkyDome shootout|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=August 26, 1991|page=D3}} In late August, the Lions moved Allen to the practice squad and replaced him with new signing Bruce Holmes, who had led the CFL in tackles the previous season with the Ottawa Rough Riders.{{cite news|last1=Naylor|first1=David|title=Argonauts must unscramble Flutie Keeping pivot in pocket key|work=The Globe and Mail|date=August 27, 1991}}{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Allen gets chance after sitting as rookie|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 22, 1992|page=D8}} Allen finished his rookie season with 31 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery over six games played.{{cite book|last1=Maher|first1=Tod|last2=Gill|first2=Bob|title=The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012|date=2013|publisher=Maher Sports Media|isbn=978-0-9835136-6-7|page=144}}
In 1992, Allen began the season on the practice squad while he recovered from a knee injury, but he replaced Doug Hocking as a starter in Week 3.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=O'Billovich trims roster to 37 players|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 6, 1992}} By late August, the Lions were facing the return of several key import players, including Stewart Hill and Lee Johnson. To meet CFL import ratio requirements, which require each team to field a certain number of Canadian players, the Lions replaced Allen again with Hocking.{{cite news|last1=MacIntyre|first1=Iain|title=Hill back to terrorize Roughriders|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=August 13, 1992|page=D9}} Allen's season was hampered both by his early injury and import ratio troubles, limiting him to three games in which he recorded 13 tackles. While on the practice squad, the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Toronto Argonauts tried to recruit him, but he declined to leave the Lions.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Zock's zapping foes and finding himself in CFL|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=September 8, 1993|page=D10}}
Allen played as an inside linebacker throughout the preseason in 1993, but he was again cut to the practice squad before the start of the regular season.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Lions roster likely to look much different on Friday|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 5, 1993|page=D3}} He was quickly brought back to the active roster and recorded five tackles in the Lions' season-opening win against the Toronto Argonauts.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=ARGOS NOT FIRST IN TORONTO HEARTS|work=Calgary Herald|date=July 14, 1993|page=D7}} Allen saw regular playing time for the first time in his career, playing in fifteen regular season games for the Lions. He played mostly as a middle linebacker, but he briefly replaced Tyrone Jones twice at the outside linebacker position while he was recovering illness and injury.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Ritchie roaring over lacklustre practice effort|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 29, 1993|page=D10}}{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=McManus starts while Barrett sits in Sacramento|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=November 5, 1993|page=F2}} Allen finished the regular season with 67 tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. He also recovered a fumble in the Western Semi-Final, but the Lions went on to lose 9–17 to the Stampeders.{{cite news|last1=Rauw|first1=Murray|title=DEFENCE RESTS|work=Calgary Herald|date=November 15, 1993|page=C1}}
During the offseason, the Lions released two linebackers while a third retired and a fourth left during free agency. Allen was selected during training camp to call defensive plays as the sole remaining linebacker, with Lions head coach Dave Ritchie saying " Zock has to be a leader now".{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=It's Zock's turn to take charge of defence|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=June 11, 1994|page=H3}} He was instead hobbled by a knee injury, forcing him to miss practice, a preseason game, and the start of the regular season.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=B.C. Lions set '94 roster for this week anyway|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=July 4, 1994}} Allen ended up playing only two regular season games for the Lions in 1994. He was eventually released and later added by the Las Vegas Posse in November, for whom he played in one game.{{cite news|title=PEOPLE TRANSACTIONS|work=The Gazette|date=November 5, 1994|page=H4}} He signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 1995 but was released before the start of the regular season.{{cite news|title=TRANSACTIONS|work=The New York Times|date=June 20, 1995|page=B16}}
Personal life
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Zock}}
Category:American football linebackers
Category:Canadian football linebackers
Category:Players of American football from Texas
Category:Players of Canadian football from Texas
Category:Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas football players
Category:Las Vegas Posse players