Today's Tidbit... George Allen, Weighted Footballs, and Special Teams

George Allen was a highly-detailed coach, as evidenced by several books he wrote, including his 1960 Complete Book of Winning Football Drills. It includes more than 500 drills covering everything imaginable. (This will not be the last Tidbit mentioning one of his drills.)

Allen played end at Albion College and Marquette, where he transferred as part of the Navy's V-12 during WWII. After graduation, he coached Morningside (IA) for three years and Whittier for six years and published the Encyclopedia of Football Drills while coaching the Poets. He joined Sid Gillman's Rams staff in 1957 and then spent the 1958 through 1965 seasons as a Chicago Bears assistant, so he published Complete Book of Winning Football Drills during his time in Chicago.

Besides being an author, Allen was an inventor and the creator of the game's first weighted footballs. Developed with Voit, the Power Arm weighed 19 ounces (versus the standard 15.5) and was targeted for quarterbacks, while the 23-ounce Power Wrist was for long snappers.

Allen poses during the 1957 preseason with Bobby Cox, a quarterback and the Rams' third-round pick out of Minnesota. Cox did not make the regular-season roster. (Valley Times (Los Angeles), September 16, 1958)