His voice is easily recognizable. It booms through the radio creating a vivid play-by-play. Like winning a state championship…“From the south and the NEC, Mt Carmel, the 1981 class 3A state champions!”
He is well-known as the small-town Hall of Fame voice of the Mt. Carmel Golden Aces.
But, how many within this community he has called home for the last 42 years truly know the man behind the voice?
Legends can come from small beginnings to achieve big moments-to share those moments with an entire town.
The impact he has had on players, coaches, parents, grandparents has created his legacy.
The man that needs no introduction, ladies and gentlemen, Scott Allen!
Allen is a Hall of Fame broadcaster from Peoria, Illinois. He attended Eastern Illinois University from 1973-1978. He took a job offer from a small-town radio station in a place that he had never been. This is where our story begins.
The year was 1979. A 24-year-old Scott Allen found himself in Mt. Carmel for the first time. Allen got the call to become a new DJ at WEIC, an old radio station. He took over as Production Manager, and he also did some sports broadcasting. Coming from Eastern Illinois University, Allen had never heard of Mt. Carmel. The year that Allen came to town was 1980, that was also the year that the Mt. Carmel Golden Aces football team went and won the Illinois Class 3A State Championship.
Allen always wanted to be a broadcaster, “I was the kid at night that had the radio under my pillow and would listen to Harry Caray or a local announcer.” Allen’s father was a doctor, and his family wanted him to become the successor to his father. Allen took premed classes at Eastern before quickly switching his major over to radio.
Growing up, Allen wanted to be the voice of the Bradley Braves, his hometown college. “I would have been happy to be the voice of the Bradley Braves. I would have stayed up there the rest of my days.” Back in Allen’s youth, the Braves were a “Powerhouse.” The only problem with that is that the job never opened. Dave Snell has been doing Bradley games since 1979. “Of course, if the Cardinals would have called, I would have taken that job too,” Allen told me jokingly.
The Cardinals never called, but in 2017, Allen did see a dream come true. Allen always wanted to call a Mt. Carmel Golden Aces State Championship basketball run. The Aces made a noble run: however, they fell just short. They finished second in the state, but Allen realized a dream.
Scott Allen is a Hall of Famer, but his greatest achievements are the relationships he makes with his students. “I want to see every student succeed.”
Scott Allen has made an impact on my life that I will always be grateful for. He has given me numerous tips on the little things that make me better. He has also cheered me up when I was being too hard on myself. To everybody else, he is the Hall of Fame voice of the Mt. Carmel Golden Aces, but to me, he is a mentor and better yet a lifelong friend.
Make sure you tell me your favorite Scott Allen story, and tell me the impact he has had on your life down in the comment section!
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