On July 1, 2022, Michael W. Allen was named the Director of Athletics at Regent University.
A native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Allen grew up around sports where his father, Herschell Allen, was a very successful high school basketball and baseball coach, as well as an athletic director. This constant exposure to sports growing up helped spur Allen into a life of athletics.
His playing days consisted of being named an all-state basketball standout at Shakamak High School in Jasonville, Indiana. During his career, he broke 12 of his high school’s 16 basketball records, was selected all-conference for three years in basketball, baseball, and cross country. In his senior season in basketball, Allen averaged nearly 27 points per game, dished out over five assists per game, and grabbed over four rebounds per game. He also scored a career-high 58 points in one game. Allen led his team to two sectional championships and two regional runner-up finishes while accumulating 1,822 total career points.
A 1996 graduate of Chowan College (now Chowan University) in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, Allen was a men’s basketball co-captain for former coach and hall of famer Bob Burke. While there, he held two school records for three-point percentage in a season (46.3%) and three-pointers made in a game (6).
Upon graduation, Allen spent six years coaching men’s basketball at the collegiate level, with stops as an assistant coach at Chowan University, Indiana State University, Lincoln Trail College, and Maryville College. The Lord then led he and his wife to Norfolk, VA where he spent 15 years as the Athletic Director at Norfolk Christian Schools, as well as served as the boys’ basketball coach for 12 of those years.
Over his tenure as Athletic Director at Norfolk Christian, the Ambassadors captured 35 Tidewater Conference Championship and seven VISAA State Championships. He was instrumental in overseeing the addition of Football and Boys Lacrosse to the NCS athletic department, as well as re-establishing an active Booster Club and helping start the NCS Athletic Hall of Honor. He also served as the President of the TCIS and Eastern Region representative on the VIAAA State AD’s Board of Directors.
As the Head Boys Basketball coach, Allen guided the Ambassadors program to three 20-win seasons, three straight TCIS Regular Season Titles and four straight TCIS Tournament Championships. He was twice named the VISAA Division 2 Coach of the Year, TCIS Coach of the Year, and the Norfolk Sports Club Bob Bates Scholastic Coach of the Year. The program captured back-to-back VISAA Division 2 State Titles in 2010 & 2011 and his team also established a league record 31-game win streak in TCIS play. Over his final six seasons, his teams compiled a .890% winning percentage and he ended his tenure ranked second on the NCH all-time wins list.
Upon leaving NCS, he served a short interim stint as the athletic director at StoneBridge School. Allen was then hired as the Director of Athletics at The Apprentice School in Newport News, VA in May of 2017. During his time at Apprentice, he was influential in solidifying a culture dubbed ‘The Builder Way’. With an intentional recruiting process, hiring key coaching and staff members, he and his team were able to improve apprentice-athlete retention, and brand awareness throughout the Hampton Roads area. He was also involved in moving the Builders into a new athletic conference, inaugural participants of the annual Neptune Bowl, as well as launching the Apprentice Athletics Hall of Fame. He served in various capacities on local sports boards, as well as committees within the USCAA. During his time, the Builders captured the NCFA National title in Football, several NCWA individual titles in Wrestling, and his tenure was capped off by the Builders capturing the USCAA Baseball Small College World Series Championship in the spring of 2022.
Michael and his wife Jennifer reside in Norfolk, where they are members of First Baptist Church of Norfolk, and are blessed with two daughters Gracie and Ryleigh.
