Indiana University Athletics
For Tom Allen, It's No Place Like Home
10/13/2017 6:33:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It doesn't get much more Hoosier heartfelt.
Mike DeBord was in Indiana's football locker room watching ESPN's GameDay telecast Aug. 31 before IU hosted Ohio State.
Suddenly the offensive coordinator saw Hoosier head coach Tom Allen appear on screen for a pre-game interview with ESPN's Laura Rutledge, who noted she had just seen Allen – still dressed in a suit – jumping up to give high-fives to the IU student section.
It seemed an overtly emotional scene, Rutledge said. And Allen, a New Castle native preparing for his first game as a college head coach in his home state, didn't back away from that one bit.
"Yeah, and you know, I got tears in my eyes doing The Walk, my first one as a head coach," Allen said, his voice suddenly tightening when talking about that pre-game IU tradition. "It just means so much to me. So many friends and family out there cheering us on.
"You have a lot of pride in who you represent. It's personal. And it means a lot to me. So, yeah, it's special. Really special."
Watching that, Muncie native DeBord felt tightness in his own throat, too.
"It choked me up," DeBord recalled late, "seeing him get choked up.
"Because, this place means the world to him, as it does to me and (assistant defensive coordinator) Mark Hagen – guys who are from Indiana, this is a special place for us.
"Tom is as genuine as it gets. He loves this place. So do I."
That was also manifest during IU's second contest this season -- a 34-17 win at Virginia – in the emotion Allen exuded during and after the game.
Never more so than with 12:56 left to play. Indiana was up 27-10 but Virginia was driving. IU senior defensive end Greg Gooch came up with a massive sack, creating a fumble scooped up by classmate Robert McCray III for what looked like a decisive 72-yard defensive touchdown.
"I was real careful – I didn't run past the 25 (coaching box) but I was hauling tail down the sideline, jumping on everybody," Allen said. "An official was giving me a hard time about it."
Then the replay official weighed in.
No flags were thrown on the field, but the replay ref called targeting on Gooch, who was summarily ejected from the game. No touchdown. But a touchdown for Virginia, which got the ball back, a couple of snaps later.
Allen said when he reviewed the game tape that "I do think that was, unfortunately, the right call" for targeting, but recalled what a body blow it seemed at the time.
"Man, we were excited," Allen said. "Then you get the deflation of that being taken away. It's a tough deal."
But one that Allen felt provided an ideal teaching moment about emotions and how to handle them, and how to rally around teammates.
"It's a great opportunity to learn how to compete and fight through adversity," Allen said. "I think we've prepared our guys for that situation … we talked about that on the sideline. Our guys didn't flinch. We gave up a score -- it was on a mistake with one of our pressures, but it wasn't because the guys were all down because of the penalty that was assessed.
"Bottom line is, sometimes things happen. It may not seem fair at the time. You just got to bow up and keep fighting. I thought our team showed tremendous grit in our
preparation, our performance, the way we finished."
Indeed, IU's game-clinching touchdown was merely deferred, not denied.
Redshirt junior slot receiver J-Shun Harris II, back healthy after an ACL knee injury in each of the past two years, helped see to that.
After erring earlier in the game by fair-catching a punt inside the 5, Harris supplied a 43-yard punt return to set up IU's second TD and then – with 5:56 to play – came up with a 44-yarder for the touchdown that burst the home team's balloon and created the final margin.
"Same thing with J-Shun in that game," Allen said. " … Fire exposes. It reveals. That's why you want the fire. You don't want too much adversity but, as a coach, you know it'll help you grow."
And then there was fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow, coming off a very strong performance against Ohio State only to struggle somewhat during the first quarter at Virginia, then making sure to cheer on a terrific relief-pitcher performance by redshirt freshman QB Peyton Ramsey.
"That was being a great teammate, cheering him on, not going over and feeling sorry for yourself when you're not in the game," Allen said of Lagow. "When he comes off, you're helping him, coaching him, encouraging him, the things he's seeing."
Which comes back to Allen's "L.E.O." (Love Each Other) mantra, caring about teammates and results more than self.
"I think that's one of the foundational components of our program is L.E.O.," Allen said. "Part of that is, 'I don't care who gets the credit.' I've said that from the very beginning, first time I got here. That is truly L.E.O. lived out, that right there.
"I was proud to see (Lagow) respond that way because that's not easy. It's easy to say it; it's hard to live it out. Truly making it not about you. That's the other part you hear me say a lot about L.E.O. As I tell our team, these things aren't phrases to be put on a wall; they have to be lived out. When you have a chance to do it and you do it, I'm going to recognize you for that. To me it shows that you believe in it, you're actually letting it allow us to help win games."
That particular win was Allen's first as a college head coach and IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass made sure the coach got a game ball afterward.
"You're exhausted, but there is no better feeling," Allen said of his post-game reaction. "Getting on that plane, laying your head back, taking a deep breath and just knowing,
'Hey, we just got ourselves a pretty big win.'
"I just thank the good Lord and am thankful for our players and coaches, for how hard they've all worked. For our fans. It's just a very, very gratifying feeling."
Allen had a side trip to make upon returning to Indiana. He headed up to St. Vincent's Hospital on the north side of Indianapolis to see his father, who had undergone open-heart surgery five days previously.
"He's doing better," Allen said of his dad. "I got to see him Sunday night after the Virginia game to give him the game ball.
"I'll tell you, that was a special moment. He didn't know. He had heard that Fred gave me a game ball. So I said, "Well, Dad, I've got a game ball for you, and I want to present it to you. That was our first win.' And he just started crying.
"It was a neat time for him and me, together. I just hugged him. It's hard, seeing him like that. It's been hard. That's a major surgery, obviously, and he's had some ups and downs. It's tough on somebody his age and will continue to be.
"But I just know that for all we've been through, all the years, through which he's been so supportive, that he's been by my side through so much of it. When he can physically get there, he's always there. So to be able to be home and be able to present him that ball was so meaningful."
Because it was personal. It was family.
DeBord has thought of his late parents a lot, too, since coming back to his home state to coach.
"My brother (Eric) played here at IU and my mom and dad loved this program," DeBord said. "I mean loved it. And I was able to come over with them and watch him play.
Just to see how much it meant to them, it was always meaningful.
"When I got the job, one of my siblings said, 'You know how much this would have meant to Mom and Dad.' And I said, 'Yeah, there is no doubt.' When we played the Ohio State game, both my sons came with their families. My sister was here and my brother was here, with all their families. But I also thought about my parents. They would be so happy this was going on, and that everybody was there to witness it."
That sort of thing, Allen said, creates some special sauce. Especially when the personal feeling of family grows to include the extended football family, completely pervading a program.
"It's just more important, I think, when it's personal," Allen said. "Just as I tell our players, when something becomes personal, there is an investment that is just different. And you can't replace that. There is a stake in the game, and it goes deeper than just the plays that are made or not made on a given Saturday.
"You feel the representation of all the people. Friends and family. People you personally know and feel accountable to. I just think it's different. You don't just walk away.
You're in it for them and for all the people who care about the Hoosiers."
When Allen arrived at Indiana in 2016 as the new defensive coordinator, he made a point to conduct one-on-one meetings with each Hoosier defender – to learn about them as a person, to relate to them that way. Now as head coach, he's extended that approach to the entire team and to the whole program.
He's made it personal, about family, for all involved.
"He's a great boss," DeBord said of Allen. "And when you see your boss put everything he has into that job – emotionally, mentally, physically, everything – then see the team really follow through in terms of what he wanted, that was very satisfying for all of us.
"It was great to see him get that first coaching win. And, as I tweeted out, it was the first of many Ws as a head football coach at the college level."
And a whole lot of Hoosiers can derive some very personal satisfaction from that.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It doesn't get much more Hoosier heartfelt.
Mike DeBord was in Indiana's football locker room watching ESPN's GameDay telecast Aug. 31 before IU hosted Ohio State.
Suddenly the offensive coordinator saw Hoosier head coach Tom Allen appear on screen for a pre-game interview with ESPN's Laura Rutledge, who noted she had just seen Allen – still dressed in a suit – jumping up to give high-fives to the IU student section.
It seemed an overtly emotional scene, Rutledge said. And Allen, a New Castle native preparing for his first game as a college head coach in his home state, didn't back away from that one bit.
"Yeah, and you know, I got tears in my eyes doing The Walk, my first one as a head coach," Allen said, his voice suddenly tightening when talking about that pre-game IU tradition. "It just means so much to me. So many friends and family out there cheering us on.
"You have a lot of pride in who you represent. It's personal. And it means a lot to me. So, yeah, it's special. Really special."
Watching that, Muncie native DeBord felt tightness in his own throat, too.
"It choked me up," DeBord recalled late, "seeing him get choked up.
"Because, this place means the world to him, as it does to me and (assistant defensive coordinator) Mark Hagen – guys who are from Indiana, this is a special place for us.
"Tom is as genuine as it gets. He loves this place. So do I."
That was also manifest during IU's second contest this season -- a 34-17 win at Virginia – in the emotion Allen exuded during and after the game.
Never more so than with 12:56 left to play. Indiana was up 27-10 but Virginia was driving. IU senior defensive end Greg Gooch came up with a massive sack, creating a fumble scooped up by classmate Robert McCray III for what looked like a decisive 72-yard defensive touchdown.
"I was real careful – I didn't run past the 25 (coaching box) but I was hauling tail down the sideline, jumping on everybody," Allen said. "An official was giving me a hard time about it."
Then the replay official weighed in.
No flags were thrown on the field, but the replay ref called targeting on Gooch, who was summarily ejected from the game. No touchdown. But a touchdown for Virginia, which got the ball back, a couple of snaps later.
Allen said when he reviewed the game tape that "I do think that was, unfortunately, the right call" for targeting, but recalled what a body blow it seemed at the time.
"Man, we were excited," Allen said. "Then you get the deflation of that being taken away. It's a tough deal."
But one that Allen felt provided an ideal teaching moment about emotions and how to handle them, and how to rally around teammates.
"It's a great opportunity to learn how to compete and fight through adversity," Allen said. "I think we've prepared our guys for that situation … we talked about that on the sideline. Our guys didn't flinch. We gave up a score -- it was on a mistake with one of our pressures, but it wasn't because the guys were all down because of the penalty that was assessed.
"Bottom line is, sometimes things happen. It may not seem fair at the time. You just got to bow up and keep fighting. I thought our team showed tremendous grit in our
preparation, our performance, the way we finished."
Indeed, IU's game-clinching touchdown was merely deferred, not denied.
Redshirt junior slot receiver J-Shun Harris II, back healthy after an ACL knee injury in each of the past two years, helped see to that.
After erring earlier in the game by fair-catching a punt inside the 5, Harris supplied a 43-yard punt return to set up IU's second TD and then – with 5:56 to play – came up with a 44-yarder for the touchdown that burst the home team's balloon and created the final margin.
"Same thing with J-Shun in that game," Allen said. " … Fire exposes. It reveals. That's why you want the fire. You don't want too much adversity but, as a coach, you know it'll help you grow."
And then there was fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow, coming off a very strong performance against Ohio State only to struggle somewhat during the first quarter at Virginia, then making sure to cheer on a terrific relief-pitcher performance by redshirt freshman QB Peyton Ramsey.
"That was being a great teammate, cheering him on, not going over and feeling sorry for yourself when you're not in the game," Allen said of Lagow. "When he comes off, you're helping him, coaching him, encouraging him, the things he's seeing."
Which comes back to Allen's "L.E.O." (Love Each Other) mantra, caring about teammates and results more than self.
"I think that's one of the foundational components of our program is L.E.O.," Allen said. "Part of that is, 'I don't care who gets the credit.' I've said that from the very beginning, first time I got here. That is truly L.E.O. lived out, that right there.
"I was proud to see (Lagow) respond that way because that's not easy. It's easy to say it; it's hard to live it out. Truly making it not about you. That's the other part you hear me say a lot about L.E.O. As I tell our team, these things aren't phrases to be put on a wall; they have to be lived out. When you have a chance to do it and you do it, I'm going to recognize you for that. To me it shows that you believe in it, you're actually letting it allow us to help win games."
That particular win was Allen's first as a college head coach and IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass made sure the coach got a game ball afterward.
"You're exhausted, but there is no better feeling," Allen said of his post-game reaction. "Getting on that plane, laying your head back, taking a deep breath and just knowing,
'Hey, we just got ourselves a pretty big win.'
"I just thank the good Lord and am thankful for our players and coaches, for how hard they've all worked. For our fans. It's just a very, very gratifying feeling."
Allen had a side trip to make upon returning to Indiana. He headed up to St. Vincent's Hospital on the north side of Indianapolis to see his father, who had undergone open-heart surgery five days previously.
"He's doing better," Allen said of his dad. "I got to see him Sunday night after the Virginia game to give him the game ball.
"I'll tell you, that was a special moment. He didn't know. He had heard that Fred gave me a game ball. So I said, "Well, Dad, I've got a game ball for you, and I want to present it to you. That was our first win.' And he just started crying.
"It was a neat time for him and me, together. I just hugged him. It's hard, seeing him like that. It's been hard. That's a major surgery, obviously, and he's had some ups and downs. It's tough on somebody his age and will continue to be.
"But I just know that for all we've been through, all the years, through which he's been so supportive, that he's been by my side through so much of it. When he can physically get there, he's always there. So to be able to be home and be able to present him that ball was so meaningful."
Because it was personal. It was family.
DeBord has thought of his late parents a lot, too, since coming back to his home state to coach.
"My brother (Eric) played here at IU and my mom and dad loved this program," DeBord said. "I mean loved it. And I was able to come over with them and watch him play.
Just to see how much it meant to them, it was always meaningful.
"When I got the job, one of my siblings said, 'You know how much this would have meant to Mom and Dad.' And I said, 'Yeah, there is no doubt.' When we played the Ohio State game, both my sons came with their families. My sister was here and my brother was here, with all their families. But I also thought about my parents. They would be so happy this was going on, and that everybody was there to witness it."
That sort of thing, Allen said, creates some special sauce. Especially when the personal feeling of family grows to include the extended football family, completely pervading a program.
"It's just more important, I think, when it's personal," Allen said. "Just as I tell our players, when something becomes personal, there is an investment that is just different. And you can't replace that. There is a stake in the game, and it goes deeper than just the plays that are made or not made on a given Saturday.
"You feel the representation of all the people. Friends and family. People you personally know and feel accountable to. I just think it's different. You don't just walk away.
You're in it for them and for all the people who care about the Hoosiers."
When Allen arrived at Indiana in 2016 as the new defensive coordinator, he made a point to conduct one-on-one meetings with each Hoosier defender – to learn about them as a person, to relate to them that way. Now as head coach, he's extended that approach to the entire team and to the whole program.
He's made it personal, about family, for all involved.
"He's a great boss," DeBord said of Allen. "And when you see your boss put everything he has into that job – emotionally, mentally, physically, everything – then see the team really follow through in terms of what he wanted, that was very satisfying for all of us.
"It was great to see him get that first coaching win. And, as I tweeted out, it was the first of many Ws as a head football coach at the college level."
And a whole lot of Hoosiers can derive some very personal satisfaction from that.
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