STILLWATER — He can’t recall exactly which Texas radio station was carrying the signal, but if Robert Allen turned the dial just right on the AM radio in his childhood bedroom, he could pick up a clear call of Oklahoma State football on fall Saturdays.
“My family was OSU people and we didn’t get to go to that many games, so a lot of times, I sat there in my room in Dallas listening to Bob Barry and Jack Ogle,” Allen told The Oklahoman.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo when Allen became one of those voices on the OSU football radio broadcasts, it felt like destiny. Since 2002, his voice has been a staple as the sideline reporter, but that run comes to an end this weekend.
The Cowboys’ season finale against Iowa State, set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, will be Allen’s last game on the sidelines.
It’s also Senior Day, and regular listeners to the radio broadcasts know how emotional a day that is for Allen anyway, saluting the players he has gotten to know during their OSU careers. But it’ll be even more overwhelming with this chapter of his career also coming to a close.
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Robert Allen works before a college football game between Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Texas Christian University (TCU) at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman“I guess I’m finally a senior.” he joked. “I’m trying not to think about it, but I’m gonna guess on the drive home, it’ll be like, well, not gonna do this again.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAllen said the people he has worked with on the broadcasts have made it even more special — in particular the current crew of Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb in the booth, Britt Lockhart as the engineer and other contributors like Deion Imade, Clint Chelf and Adam Hildebrant.
The core pieces of that group have been together for the majority of Allen’s run on the sidelines.
Hunziker became the play-by-play man in 2001, and Holcomb took over for Tom Dirato as color commentator in 2005.
Hunziker welcomed Allen’s addition in 2002, because the broadcast didn’t include a sideline reporter the year before.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It was weird not having one,” Hunziker said. “Thankfully it worked out a year later that Robert joined us.
“No one cares about Oklahoma State more than he does. No one does. There’s a tremendous passion there and that follows him into his work. What he brings from a football knowledge standpoint and an overall program knowledge standpoint is very unique. He’s been an awesome teammate. The work he does is far, far beyond the normal work of a sideline reporter.”
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From Holcomb’s perspective, having Allen’s football insight has been critical to the crew’s well-rounded broadcasts.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He knows football, and I walked into this with a limited football background,” Holcomb said. “The scouting reports that he puts together on his own for the whole crew were just so detailed. He’s watching video and breaking down not just the percentage of time an opposing team will blitz and in what situations, but exactly what those blitzes were. That’s the level of preparation he would go to.
“Dave and I can figure some things out, but without him, it would be a less detailed broadcast and probably not as good.”
Allen will continue his daily radio show on Triple Play Sports in Stillwater, and he’s still writing for PokesReport.com, the OSU sports website he started and has since handed over to Zach Lancaster.
But he’s saying goodbye to a meaningful piece of his sports media career.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I’ve just had a great time with the dudes I get to do this with,” he said. “We just have a good group.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OSU vs. Iowa State
KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (ESPNU)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Robert Allen set for final call as sideline reporter for OSU football
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