Anthony Allen (CAS ’90), a Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) officer and former forward on the men’s basketball team, died Sept. 10 in Dayton, Md. He was 57.
Born Sept. 10, 1967, in Port Arthur, Texas, Anthony Joseph Allen Sr. grew up in a sporting family, with his two older brothers playing high school football. Allen, however, played high school basketball for Abraham Lincoln High School, winning two state championships and receiving the Texas “Mr. Basketball” award in his senior year.
Scouted by Georgetown men’s basketball coach John Thompson Jr., Allen attended Georgetown after graduating from Lincoln in 1986. In his first game, the 1986-87 season opener, Allen scored 15 points in 15 minutes; despite knee and ankle injuries limiting his time on the court, he went on to score 221 points over his college career.
“Anthony was a smart player, you know,” Thompson Jr. told The Hoya in 2008. “He was competitive, and he was the kind of guy that was a very good defensive player, and a lot of the things we tried to do predicated on a person being a team player as well as a person who could rebound and defend. Anthony could do those things, and that was very important.”
After graduating, Allen played on a U.S. exhibition team in France before joining Athletes in Action, a Christian organization that combined exhibition basketball with ministry, which sent him to Mexico and Australia.
Allen returned to Georgetown in 1994, joining GUPD as a campus police officer. He patrolled the northern side of campus during night shifts and eventually rose to the position of master police officer.
While serving at GUPD, Allen completed his graduate studies to become a minister and then served as an assistant pastor at Mount Horeb Baptist Church, also working with youth ministry. Known for his singing in high school and college, Allen served as a choir director at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.
Fred Johnson, GUPD’s patrol operations commander, who worked with Allen for 13 years, said Allen was dedicated to Georgetown and its community.
“If you talk to anybody in this university about Anthony Allen, he’s a staple,” Johnson told The Hoya. “He’s a true Hoya, blue and gray. Always caring, lived a true Christian life each and every day. I don’t think you’ll find anybody that has a disparaging word to say about him.”
“He was like a giant, but he literally was a gentle giant,” Johnson added. “Cared about all, tried to do everything he could. You knew he would always be there. Always approachable, he made it known that if you needed just to talk, he treated everybody like family.”
Johnson highlighted his close relationship with Allen, saying Allen comforted him when his brother passed away.
“For me, our relationship was, as some folks would say, is a unique one, he was like my brother from another mother,” Johnson said. “We were very close, we did a lot of things together, we talked about a lot of things.”
“For me, two years ago my older brother passed, that would’ve been my last brother,” Johnson added. “So of course he came to me and he used to say, ‘Well, I’m going to be your big brother.’ And I’m like, ‘Well Anthony, you can’t be my big brother because I’m older than you so you can’t be my older brother.’”
“He surrounded my family and was there for us. It was a tough time, and he was there.”
Lee Reed, director of intercollegiate athletics, praised Allen’s deep involvement in campus life, both during his college basketball career and his time as a GUPD officer. Reed said Allen exemplified the Jesuit value of cura personalis, or care for the whole person.
“Anthony was a true Hoya. As a student-athlete coming to the Hilltop from Texas, he was known for his defense and his ability to play every position,” Reed said in an email sent to the athletics community. “This translated into his work as an officer on campus where he was a mainstay on the sidelines, always looking out for our Hoyas.”
“Anthony’s faith, family and commitment were of the utmost importance to him, and he lived the concept of cura personalis. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and teammates, he will be missed,” Reed added.
Jay Gruber, associate vice president of public safety, said Allen left behind a legacy of care and love for the Georgetown community.
“During his 30 year tenure with the Department he had a positive impact on literally hundreds of thousands of Hoyas,” Gruber wrote to The Hoya. “Anthony was known by his height but was better known by the size of his heart. He cared about all Hoyas and was a great ambassador for the Department.”
Gruber added that Allen was always welcoming to new GUPD officers, training numerous new recruits.
“He shared his enthusiasm for the Georgetown community with everyone he met,” Gruber wrote. The hundreds of police officers he trained over his tenure were quickly welcomed into the Hoya family. He will be deeply missed by his colleagues and the community.”
Johnson shared one of his many fond memories, saying he often compared Allen’s barbecue to his own.
“We both are avid barbecuers, so we had many conversations about whose barbecue is the best,” Johnson said. “I’ll say mine, he’ll say his, but at this point his wasn’t bad, you know.”
Johnson expressed that he will cherish his memories of Allen while finding comfort in the enduring legacy Allen leaves behind at Georgetown.
“There’s a lot to hold onto,” Johnson said. “I’m shocked that he’s gone but you know what, I just say to myself, he fulfilled his purpose on this earth and God called him home, so I know where he is.”
Allen is survived by his wife, Laura; his children, Aniyah, Anthony Jr., Ava Elyse and Aiden Michael; his brother and sister; and several nieces and nephews. His first wife, Tania; parents, Melvin and Joseph; and brother, Royce, predeceased him.
Johnson said Allen cared for everyone and was devoted to his family and community at Georgetown.
“He was just a loving guy,” Johnson said. “He was a father, a husband. There wasn’t nothing he wouldn’t do for this place. That’s Anthony Allen.”
“We used to say love is an action verb. He applied it every day. He showed those actions every day,” Johnson added.
Maren Fagan contributed to reporting.