Hall of Fame
Chuck Allen was a rare four-sport athlete at Norwich as a member of the skiing, lacrosse, soccer and rugby teams. He was most accomplished on the snow as a two-time NCAA Division I finals qualifier and earned All-East ski team honors.
Allen helped lead Norwich to a second-place finish at the 1979 Division II Championship meet and a fourth place finish in 1980. In his senior season, Allen recorded four, top-three finishes in slalom and giant slalom races during the season, including winning at Johnson State.
After initially graduating from Norwich, Allen returned to earn second degree in Civil Engineering. He coached the skiing, lacrosse and rugby teams at Norwich from 1981-83.
“Many can say that Norwich was an experience, if not an ordeal,” Allen said. “You are thrust into the regimen of the Corps lifestyle and its demanding. Those kind of challenges have led to lasting friendships to this day having experienced it together. Athletics was how I got through Norwich. It was professional, serious, and well-run. More importantly it was the balance needed to cope with the challenges of the Corps with college on top.”
Allen credited his skiing coach, Bruce Jennings for providing a key turning point for him during his skiing career to push himself to the limits.
“Although there were many memories along the way, none was as meaningful and lasting as my senior year as a member of the rugby team. The drive and spirit of those athletes both upper and underclassmen was difficult to keep up with. It was a team of leaders nurtured by those that went before them. It was an honor to have served among them on the pitch and it was great seeing (and hugging) so many of the “ol’ boys” at the 50th Norwich Rugby Anniversary in September.”
After NU, Allen began working in the marine dredging industry traveling around the U.S. helping to maintain navigable waters at United States ports. Allen stayed in the marine construction field for many years building docks from Manhattan to the Boston Harbor treatment plant.
In the mid ’90s, Allen saw a growing trend in technology as the next frontier and found gainful employment in the software industry. Having worked through the “dot Bomb,” Allen has worked for many companies engaged with bringing innovative products to market. Currently, Allen is working in the tech sector for a large networking company delivering innovative products to large companies effectively “speeding up the Internet.”
Chuck and his wife, Susan have been married for 34 years, live in the New Hampshire seacoast town of Rye and have three children Rose (21), Joe (26) and Sam (28). He has spent the last 10 years running the town lacrosse program, coaching his kids from K-1 through high school.
