THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

Wayne Allison - Class of 1978

To pause click "Stop" or click the small photo. Click the large photo to enlarge. Click "Start" to resume scroll

Exactly how good was Wayne Allison as a basketball player?  "He was the best big man in the history of  Wooster basketball," says Allison's former coach and current athletic director Al Van Wie without hesitation.  "He came to Wooster with a lot of raw talent, but it was his persistence that made him successful.  He was an incredible competitor."

Daily Record sports editor Brian Questel concurs, adding, "He was one of those guys who had a tremendous capacity to compete. He played in the shadows of some great players, but it was the little things he did that helped to make those players great, and never complained about getting less attention than his teammates."

The two players to which Questel referred happened to be Sam Dixon and Fred Baker - two of the finest in Wooster basketball history. They were the ones who received most of the attention and captured most of the headlines, but there was no mistaking Wayne's role in the Scot's success.  In fact, he was Wooster's top scorer and rebounder in 1976-77 and 1977-78.  As a junior, when the Scots finished 20-7 overall, and 10-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference he averaged 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. as Wooster finished 21-6 overall and 10-2 in the OAC while advancing to the NCAA South Regional in Lexington, Kentucky.

A native Canadian, Wayne came to Wooster because he wanted to play basketball in the United States.  He was the Scot's starting center for three seasons and at 7-foot-7, 215 lbs., he was an imposing figure.  In addition to being named All-Conference twice and third-team All-American once, he served as Wooster's caption and was named most Valuable Player twice.

After graduating from Wooster with a degree in physical education in 1978, Wayne returned to his homeland where he earned a master's degree in education at Brock University.  While in pursuit of advanced degrees, he never lost his enthusiasm for basketball.  In fact, he was a member of the Canadian National Team.

Today, he and wife Purdy (Eileen) live in Watertown, Ontario, and it should come as no surprise that he is still deeply involved in basketball.  He is head coach at Sheridan College, something that makes his former coach very happy and very proud.

<-- Back to Search