The college football iteration of Black Sunday started early in 2023 and continued early Sunday morning following the final weekend of the regular season. Tom Allen has reportedly been fired from his post as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers.
Indiana Fires Head Coach Tom Allen
The Hoosiers had made serious inroads toward a path of success under Allen, but recent inefficiency on both sides of the ball following multiple coordinator departures over the past few seasons forced their hand. Allen finishes his last season with just a 3-9 overall record and a 1-8 record in the Big Ten.
But that wasn’t who Allen was as a coach for the Hoosiers.
The 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Allen brought Indiana back to life during his seven-year tenure. An Indiana native, Allen not only brought the Hoosiers back to life, he also sparked the growth of an impressive coaching tree.
Improving the defensive rankings from 2016 to 2019, Allen’s pinnacle of his tenure at Indiana saw him win the 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year and 2020 AFCA Coach of the Year honors after he finished the season with a 6-2 record that included a 6-1 mark in the Big Ten. The Covid-shortened season didn’t phase Allen and the Hoosiers, but other outside factors did.
The job began to appear too big during the rise of the transfer portal and Allen lost more than 30 upperclassmen following the 2021 season. Allen fired his offensive coordinator, took a pay cut, and did everything he could to try and right the ship in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Ultimately, Allen limped to three straight losing records in 2021 through 2023, dropping his overall record to 33-49 as head coach of the Hoosiers.
Tom Allen Coaching Resume
It’s likely Allen will return to his roots and focus on the defensive side of the ball at his next stop, wherever that may be. With his proven track record, he’d be a hot commodity for a veteran head coach looking to bolster their defense somewhere.
- Temple Heights High School – Defensive Coordinator (1992)
- Temple Heights High School – Defensive Coordinator, Interim Head Coach (1993)
- Temple Heights High School – Head Coach (1994)
- Armwood High School – Defensive Coordinator (1995-1996)
- Marion High School – Defensive Coordinator (1997)
- Ben Davis High School – Defensive Coordinator (1998-2003)
- Ben Davis High School – Head Coach (2004-2006)
- Wabash – Defensive Backs Coach, Special Team Coordinator (2007)
- Lambuth – Associate Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers Coach (2008-2009)
- Drake – Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers Coach (2010)
- Arkansas State – Associate Head Coach (2011)
- Ole Miss – Linebackers Coach, Special Teams Coach (2012-2014)
- South Florida – Defensive Coordinator (2015)
- Indiana – Defensive Coordinator (2016)
- Indiana – Head Coach (2017-2023)