Allen Porter

Allen Porter was born on February 2, 1962, in Birmingham to the Reverend Ralph and Ann Porter. When Allen was in the second grade, his dad accepted the call to St. Paul United Methodist Church in Boaz. The family moved to Pirate country. Allens father passed away in 1975. Allen participated in youth sports like baseball and basketball through the Boaz Recreation Center. When he entered junior high, Allen began playing football under Coach Roy Fulmer. Because of his size, he started out as a lineman, but by the ninth grade, he was moved to quarterback. Coach Tommy Langley also pushed him hard in basketball, but football was Allen's number one sport. As a sophomore, Allen played defensive end the entire season, but got a chance to start at quarterback the last three games of the year. The Pirate's record was 2-8 that year, but Head Coach John Beck knew he had someone special at the controls of his offense. The Pirates played a lot of sophomores that year, and the fruits of that experience would later come to pass. As a junior on the 1978 Boaz squad, Porter started every game at quarterback and led the Pirates to a 5-5 record. According to Allen, the turning point for Boaz that year was a win against rival Albertville, which had won five in a row over the Pirates. Porter began to get noticed by the colleges during his junior season and he made numerous recruiting visits during the summer before his senior year. One trip he made was to Clemson, where another famous recruit was visiting the same week. That player actually got to go fishing early one morning with Coach Danny Ford, but he ultimately chose another school. The man whom Allen got to know was none other than Herschel Walker, who wound up at Georgia. Allen was recruited by SEC schools Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee. When Allen's 1979 senior season began, expectations were high at B.H.S. Many of the players were three-year starters on the team, and Allen was their unquestioned leader. The Pirates went 10-0 that season. It is widely regarded as the greatest Boaz team in history, and one of Marshall County's greatest of all time. Boaz didn't qualify for the playoffs that year because they didn�t play an area schedule. However, the Pirates outscored their opponents 263-19 and recorded seven shutouts. They were declared Marshall County Champions. Allen attributes their success to the closeness they shared as a team and how hard they pushed each other every day. With his Pirate playing days behind him, Allen chose to accept a scholarship offer from Jacksonville State University. They offered him a full ride, and he really liked Coach Jim Fuller and the coaching staff. He made the travel team as a freshman and played tight end, fullback and was on the front row of the kickoff team. He was even the backup punter. Coach Fuller loved his versatility. When his senior year arrived, Allen was chosen as the starting quarterback. He completed 70 of 139 passes for 708 yards and 8 touchdowns as the senior signal-caller. Allen graduated from JSU in 1984 with a degree in marketing. Since his days as a Gamecock, Allen has been in the insurance and financial services business. He is currently the director of sales and marketing with Southeastern Financial Group in Birmingham. In 1985, he married Tracy Thompson, and they have two children, Matthew and Molly.