SINTON, Texas — Former Sinton head football coach and athletic director Tom Allen died Thursday night.
Allen was forced into an early retirement in December 2018 after being diagnosed with Multiple Systems Atrophy two years earlier, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the nervous system.
Omar Garcia is the Head Boys Basketball Coach of Sinton. He was brought on by coach Allen.
"He gave us a shot. He gave us that opportunity. He didn't have to. I was a nobody and he let me come in. I owe him everything," said Garcia.
Current Sinton Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Michael Troutman said coach Allen was filled with lessons. Ones he'll carry on with him.
"Have integrity with the choices that you make. You may not make everybody happy, but as long as you have integrity, you can hold your chin up high," said Troutman.
He always did what was in the best interest of the kids.
"He said to treat it like it's your Super Bowl and those kids will follow, those kids will feel that excitement so I kind of took that to heart and just coached every day like this was the most important time and this was the most important place," said Garcia.
They said, one of his best qualities was coach Allen's kindness.
"His classic phrase after a call that he disagreed with "you're not getting a Christmas card from me this year" and I always found that to be about as mean as he could get," said Gene Kasprzyk, the former Sinton Baseball Coach.
Allen coached 12 years in Sinton, winning 106 games in that time and leading the Pirates to the state semifinals in back-to-back seasons in 2013 and 2014.
On February 4th, 2023, Tom Allen was laid to rest. The Sinton Pirate community held a memorial service for him at the football stadium for one last standing ovation.
People from all over the state were in attendance.
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