Brian Allen enters his eleventh season (2023-24) as an assistant coach for the Missouri Southern track and field teams. His primary responsibilities are to coach the throwing events and serve as the Recruiting Coordinator for all events.
Allen has coached the Lion throwers to 78 All-MIAA performances, including 29 conference champions and 28 school records broken. Along with success at the conference level, Allen has seen 143 provisional marks, 77 national qualifiers and 59 All-American performances at the national level, as well as the 2018 men's discus, 2019 women's javelin, 2021 men’s outdoor shot put and discus, 2023 men's indoor weight throw, and 2023 men's outdoor discus National Champions.
During the 2022-23 season Allen helped 24 MSSU throwers hit NCAA Provisional Qualifying Marks, 14 National Qualifiers, 13 All-MIAA honorees, six MIAA Champions, 11 All-Americans, and two National Champions throughout the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Peyton Barton was the National Champion in the indoor weight throw and the outdoor discus, as the team placed 4th at the Indoor National Championships. At the Indoor MIAA Championships, Samariae Bonds won the shot put and Peyton Barton won the weight throw, setting an MIAA and school record in the process. The Outdoor MIAA Champions were Samariae Bonds and Cedric Pearson in the shot put, Peyton Barton in the hammer throw, and Rajheim Carby in the javelin. Capping it all off, Allen was named NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
The 2021-22 season saw continued success under Allen's watchful eye as the MSSU throwers had 17 NCAA Provisional Qualifying Marks, 10 national qualifiers, eight All-MIAA honorees, five MIAA Champions and eight All-Americans throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons. Josh Fulmer won the MIAA indoor weight throw championship, while the Lions took home four titles in the outdoor season. Peyton Barton won both the discus and the hammer at the MIAA Outdoor Championships, while Rajheim Carby and Elizabeth Pomatto swept the men's and women's javelin titles and set new school records. Carby went on to lead the men’s jav squad to a 2-3-5 finish at the NCAA National Championships.
The 2021-21 season saw Allen finish the year by being named the NCAA Division II Outdoor Regional Field Coach of the Year. Allen coached Rajindra Campbell to a pair of National Championships in the outdoor season as Campbell won the title in both the shot put and the discus. Campbell went on to be named the Division II Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year.
Throughout the year, the throwers set school records in the men's outdoor shot, men's discus, women's hammer, men's hammer, and women's javelin (MIAA record). Rajindra Campbell was the first competitor since 2005 to win both the shot and discus National Championships in the same outdoor championship. The men picked up 58 points from the throwers at the MIAA outdoor championships, while the women had 57. As a whole, the throwers produced six top-five Division II performances, including 11 All-Americans, and a combined 54 points at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
The 2019-20 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic and stopped the team's chances at a National Championship. The throwers, however, posted three more All-MIAA honors, while earning five different All-American honors by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team saw MSSU school records in the women's indoor shot put, the men's indoor shot including what was the third longest throw in Division II history (20.07m) from Rajindra Campbell at the Indoor MIAA Championships.
The Lions throwers posted 14 All-MIAA performances throughout the 2018-19 season, as well as nine different All-Americans. Rajindra Campbell won the MIAA discus title, while Desirea Buerge won both the outdoor shot and the discus titles. Morgan Ash went on to win the NCAA Division II National Championship in the javelin at the Outdoor Championships. The throwers broke records in the women's javelin, women's indoor shot, women's outdoor shot, women's discus and the men's hammer throw. The throwers produced 31 points for the women at the NCAA D2 Outdoor Championship and Allen was named the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Women's Assistant Regional Coach of the Year.
2017-18 saw records broken and a National Champion for the throws program under Allen. Bryan Burns was named the Indoor and Outdoor Regional Field Athlete of the Year. He was an All-American in the discus, winning the National Title, while also picking up All-American honors in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put and weight throw. Junior Joseph went on to earn All-American honors in the indoor weight throw, as well.
The Lions won the MIAA discus title (Burns), as well as the weight throw title (Joseph), while picking up All-MIAA honors in four events. In total, school records were set and re-broken in the indoor and outdoor shot put, the weight throw, hammer and discus all during the 2017-18 season under Allen.
In 2016-17, Allen helped coach five different All-American performances including Daniel Hernandez to a third-place finish in Javelin, Bryan Burns earned a trio of All-American honors in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put and discus, while Desirea Buerge was also an All-American in the Discus. 2016-17 was also a year of record breaking - five new school records were established in the throwing events including men’s weight throw, men’s indoor and outdoor shot put, as well as men’s and women’s discus.
Allen has also helped with professional coaching, working with former Lion Rajindra Campbell. His post collegiate career has seen the following results: Personal Best 22.22m (Jamaican National Record, 7th farthest throw in 2023) First Jamaican over 22 meters, World Championships Qualifier (Budapest, (HUN)), World Championships Final Qualifier(Finished 12th), Currently Ranked 14th in the world rankings going into the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Allen came to Southern after helping coach the throwers for two seasons at the University of Central Missouri, while also training post collegiately in the Hammer Throw. Prior to Central Missouri, Allen spent a season coaching at his alma mater, Pittsburg State University. During his tenure as an assistant coach, he helped coach 22 All-MIAA throwers, including six conference champions and seeing six school records broken. He also helped coach 11 All-American throwers, including a national champion in the shot put and a runner up in the discus.
A very decorated student-athlete and member of the Hall of Fame at Pittsburg State University, Allen was a four-year letter winner for the Gorillas, including serving as a team captain in both his junior and senior campaigns. He was a nine-time All-American and was the 2009 national runner up in the shot put. During his career, he was a 17-time All-MIAA thrower and he picked up conference titles in the hammer throw, two in the discus and one in the shot put. In 2010, Allen was the South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year as voted upon by the coaches in the region. He still holds the Pittsburg State school record in the weight throw. He graduated from Pittsburg State in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Recently, Allen was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame class of 2022.
Allen has his USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification and USATF Level One Coaches Certification.
Brian and his wife Sarah live in Joplin along with their three children, Bree, Oscar and Quinn.
