Pokey Allen, whose exuberance for the game injected a new enthusiasm into the Boise State University football program, died early today after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 53.
Allen's doctor, oncologist Carolyn Collins at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, said the former head football coach died at 4:30 this morning at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Mont., after being in a coma for about 24 hours.A hospital spokeswoman said the family had scheduled the funeral for Wednesday.
A Montana native, Allen had returned to Missoula to spend the holidays with his mother, sister and daughter when he collapsed the day after Christmas and broke his nose.
Collins said the tumor in his chest had grown quickly and involved more than 90 percent of his lungs.
Allen was diagnosed with the rare and aggressive form of muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma in 1994 only two days after leading the Broncos to the NCAA Division I-AA championship game.
After months of treatment including a stem cell transplant in June 1995, Allen returned to coach the Broncos to a 7-4 season in 1995. But he again took a medical leave last August after finding new tumors forming in his chest and lungs.
Allen underwent alternative treatment in Vancouver, British Columbia, for much of that medical leave before returning to coach the final two Boise State games this fall.
He resigned Dec. 11 after tests revealed the cancer cells were again active.
Allen, who was born in Superior, Mont., attended the former Missoula County High School, where he was a standout in football, basketball and track.
He graduated in 1962 and went on to star at Utah, where he was named the most valuable player of the 1964 Liberty Bowl.
Allen was co-head coach at Simon Fraser from 1972-76, served as an assistant coach for Montana in 1977-78, was an assistant at Eastern Washington in 1979-81, an assistant at California in 1982 and was defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League in 1983-84 and with the Portland Breakers in 1985.
He was head coach at Portland State from 1986-92 before taking over the Boise State program in December 1992.
He built an 86-41-2 overall record as a collegiate head coach.