The World Wrestling Championship concluded last month. Now, the U23 World Wrestling Championship is about to begin in a week in all its glory. Every university is busy preparing for the tournaments, along with a fresh NCAA season. However, the Oklahoma State University (OSU) has shut down in its tracks after meeting an unprecedented tragedy.

The Oklahoma State University Cowboys is known as one of the most successful wrestling teams in the United States. A big hand in the success of the Cowboys belonged to longtime team physician, Dr Tom Allen, 91. A social media post recently broke the news of the untimely passing of the beloved staff member.

Wrestling team physician with over 50 years of work bids farewell

Dr Tom Allen has been in the medical field for over 58 years. After being in the field for over 10 years, Dr Allen shifted to sports medicine and wrestling in 1975. Starting his journey with a kids wrestling program in Illinois, the celebrated doctor had come a long way. A tweet on X posted by the OSU Cowboys Wrestling announced the tragic news of his passing.

According to the tweet, “Cowboy Wrestling mourns the loss of longtime team physician and former Medical School Dean at OSU-Tulsa Dr. Tom Allen.” The deceased team physician was loved by all and had been with OSU since 1991. The doctor played a crucial role in enabling the Cowboys to claim 25 NCAA titles, 108 All-American honors, and many more achievements.

Allen had to vacate his position as the Dean of the Tulsa Medical School in 2003. Interestingly, despite this change in official positions, Allen chose to remain as the team physician for the Cowboys till 2020. 

The man who didn’t give up on his team

Dr Allen worked alongside wrestling head coach John Smith for OSU’s wrestling team. After he completed 21 years with the Cowboys, Dr Allen was bestowed with a great honor for his services by OSU. In 2012, the doctor received a Lifetime Service Award from the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Head Coach Smith had been working with Dr Allen since the beginning of his tenure and was devastated by his passing.

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According to Smith, “He was a good friend, and I just wasn’t prepared for him to be gone, but I’m very grateful that I got to spend so much time with him. He really made a difference in how I looked at a lot of things and he wasn’t just a team doctor. He was a great friend to a lot of young wrestlers, as well as several of my staff members and myself. He’ll be missed.” As the Cowboys proceed for a fresh season of NCAA, the memories of Dr. Allen will forever remain with them.

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