{{Short description|American football player (1891–1958)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Lynn Allen | image = Lynn Allen (1932).jpg | upright = .7 | caption = Lynn Allen, 1932 | position = Halfback | birth_date = {{birth date|1891|2|27}} | birth_place = Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1958|5|31|1891|2|27}} | death_place = Grayling, Michigan, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lbs = 170 | high_school = Central (Detroit) | college = Detroit (1917) | pastteams = * Detroit Heralds (1920) | pfr = A/AlleLy20 }} '''Lynn D. Allen''' (February 27, 1891 – May 31, 1958) was an American football player and politician. He played college football for the University of Detroit and professional football for the Detroit Heralds. He also served as the Oakland County Clerk from 1932 until his death in 1958.
==Early life and college== Allen was born in 1891 in Birmingham, Michigan, on a farm near Telegraph and Maple Roads. He began high school in Birmingham but transferred to Detroit Central High School as a sophomore, becoming a football star there.<ref name=elect/> He then enrolled at the University of Detroit where he played for the 1917 Detroit Tigers football team that compiled an 8–1 record.<ref>{{cite news|title=Allen Star of Victory Over Army: University of Detroit Halfback Contributes 15 Points of 27 to 7 Triumph on Navin Field|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=December 2, 1917|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-allen-star-of-victory/129499529/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was rated as "one of the greatest halfbacks in University of Detroit football history."<ref name=obit/> He enlisted in the Navy in 1918 during World War I.<ref name=obit/>
==Professional career== He also played professional football for the 1920 Detroit Heralds. He appeared in two games for the Heralds.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lynn Allen|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=August 5, 2023|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleLy20.htm}}</ref> He lost a hand in a hunting accident in 1921.<ref name=obit/>
==Personal life== Allen was elected as a Republican as the Oakland County Clerk in 1932.<ref name=elect>{{cite news|title=Ex Grid Star Wins Fame in Oakland County Politics: Defeated Unbeatable Man in Race for Clerk's Office|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=December 27, 1932|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-ex-grid-star-wins-fam/129499114/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was then reelected 12 more times. He died of heart failure in Grayling, Michigan, over the Memorial Day weekend in 1958.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|title=Lynn D. Allen: Former Football Star Dies|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=June 2, 1958|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-lynn-d-allen-former/129498733/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Lynn}} Category:1891 births Category:1958 deaths Category:Players of American football from Oakland County, Michigan Category:American football running backs Category:Detroit Titans football players Category:Detroit Heralds players Category:Sportspeople from Birmingham, Michigan Category:20th-century American sportsmen