‘I got to be very good friends with Clemente later in life. He was a very humble man, and so was Stargell.’
BALTIMORE, Md.—When Harold “Hank” Allen was a kid growing up in rural Lawrence County, Pa., he and his younger brother Richard “Dick” Allen never imagined they’d someday become teammates in the major leagues.
After both finished highly-touted athletic careers at Wampum High School (now Mohawk High) about 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, the Allen brothers were already considered two of the finest athletes in the state. Both young men led their Wampum basketball squads to state titles; Hank in 1958, Dick in 1960. Though the school was of a small-enrollment Class C category, their talented teams competed in the Class B category. (At the time, the PIAA only had three categories, A, B and C). Wampum also won the 1955 state hoops title.
Though both Allen brothers excelled on the hardcourt, it’s with the hard ball where they would become standouts—and where Hank Allen continues to hone his craft, as a scout for Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros.
While Richie “Call Me Dick” Allen retired as one of the most prolific power hitters in MLB history, including being named the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year with the Phillies and a seven-time All-Star, Hank Allen played seven seasons as a valued utility man, first in the Philadelphia minor league system, in addition to longer stints with the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. On the White Sox, he and Dick played together for two years—the only time since they left high school.
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