Marquette 'M Club' Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2009
- Class:
- 1961
Jim Allen served as Marquette's head cross country and track & field coach for 11 seasons and resurrected the Marquette Track Club after graduating from MU in 1961.
After enrolling at Marquette in 1954, he enlisted in the United States Armed Forces during the Korean War for three years before returning to MU. As a student-athlete, Allen set the school record in the indoor mile, a time which would stand for over 20 years.
During his coaching tenure at Marquette, Allen mentored 11 All-Americans, including 1986 NCAA 10,000-meter run champion Keith Hanson (M Club, Class of 1999) and was one of the driving forces behind the fundraising effort for the Melvin "Bus" Shimek Memorial Track and Field Facility.
Allen helped guide the cross country and track programs through the transition from non-scholarship club sports status back to NCAA Division I programs. Allen was also instrumental in Marquette hosting it's only NCAA Championship, the 1985 NCAA Cross Country Championships, in which Hanson finished third.
Sponsor: Marquette Track Club
