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Same intensity: Video resurfaces of passionate locker room speech Tom Allen gave as HS head coach
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Tom Allen’s mantra at Indiana has become “Love Each Other.” Apparently, his teams – no matter the level he’s been a head coach – have loved him back.
And a video that surfaced on Saturday of Allen speaking to a high school team he coached early in his career shows that the Indiana head coach has changed precious little along the way.
Allen spent six years as head coach of Ben Davis High School in Indiana before making the jump to Division III college football in 2006, beginning a winding road that led him to become a defensive coordinator at Indiana and then the program’s head coach in 2016.
“The team’s that going to win is the one that truly believes they’re supposed to win. Expect it baby,” Allen said.
“You’ve worked hard, too stinking too hard to let-up now. We’ve learned our lesson, haven’t we?”
Dear America, This is no front. This man has always been this way. @IndianaFootball It’s a joy to watch you fellas experience what we had and to see him do it on a National level is God’s work. @CoachAllenIU you know I love you man. I pray my boy gets the opportunity I had. #IU pic.twitter.com/t8fqFLHvTm
— Coach Avery Thompson Sr (@AverySr12) December 12, 2020
The team responds with a “Yes, sir.”
Allen then continued his fiery speech, one where he spoke calmly but succinctly throughout. Upon breaking the speech, his team let out a deafening yell and stormed out from the locker room.
Allen’s postgame speeches as a head coach at Indiana have gone viral, often as much for his passion as the obvious return of passion from his team.