Frankie Allen

So A.P. Moore, and I’m an assistant coach in Roanoke, Jefferson High School.  I’m two years out of college, and I’m the JV coach, but I’m young, and I’m wanting to make this career.  And I get a call from A.P. Moore, and he said, “Frankie, are your goals to be a head coach?  Would you like to be a head coach someday?”  And I said, “Oh, yeah.”  “Look, I’m just talking about the high school level.”  “Oh, yeah,” I said, “Yeah, Coach Moore, if you can help me in any way.”  Now, he wasn’t my coach, but he knew me.  So, he said, “I’m going to retire or resign from the head coaching position here at Albemarle,” and he said, “I’m going to recommend you for the job.”  And I’m thinking, “Well, I’m pretty young.”  And so, anyway, he did.  He resigned, and I think — I don't know — this is kind of maybe folklore, I think, but he was going to resign, I think, only on the condition that I was going to be the next coach.  I don't know that to be a fact, but anyway, there’s a lot that goes behind that.  But to answer your question, really, because I think he was trying to keep the racial balance, so the football coach was white, and they wanted the basketball coach.  And I don’t think there was any other candidates at the time who were Black or who coach deemed be able to do this.  And I loved Albemarle, man.