Devoted to teammates and fans, Allen enshrined in Cooperstown

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Dick Allen's family members, former teammates and coaches have long considered him a Hall of Famer, despite the honor somehow eluding him for decades.

The wait came to an end on Sunday, when Allen was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., alongside Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner.

“To many of us, Dick was already a Hall of Famer,” Willa Allen, his widow, said in her speech. “Not just for how he played, but for who he was. Yes, he was one of the most natural, gifted hitters to ever step into the batter’s box. And who could forget his 40-ounce bat? But his statistics, impressive as they are, tell only part of his story. And I have hundreds of stories.”

One such story took place after a game at Dodger Stadium in 1971. A 16-year-old fan asked Allen for his autograph, but Allen instead said, “Son, I’d rather shake your hand.” A two-hour chat followed that handshake, and a lifelong friendship began. That teenager is now 70 years old and was recognized during Willa Allen’s speech.

“That was Dick,” she said. “He was devoted to people. Not just fans, but especially his teammates. If he heard someone was sick, or going through a tough time, he’d turn to me and say, ‘Willa, they have to hear from us. Let’s send a card or write a letter. We have to let them know we’re here.’”

Growing up, Allen knew what he wanted to do.

“When he was just a child,” Willa Allen relayed on stage, “his teacher asked the class what they wanted to be when they grew up. Dick stood up and said, ‘I’m going to be a Major League baseball player.’ Then he sat down. The other kids laughed because at that time, there weren’t any Black players in the Major Leagues. But he didn’t laugh. He believed it, and now, look at him.”

Over a 15-year career, Allen slashed .292/.378/.534 with 351 home runs, 1,119 RBIs, a .912 OPS and a 156 OPS+. He spent the majority of that time with the Phillies, though he also played for the White Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and A's.

Allen led his league in OPS four times, slugging percentage three times, on-base percentage and homers two times, and triples, RBIs, runs and walks once.

From 1964-74, he accounted for 58.3 WAR, per Baseball Reference. That was just ahead of Hall of Famer Willie Mays for sixth among all position players over that 11-year span. The only five players ahead of Allen were Hank Aaron (68.7), Carl Yastrzemski (68.2), Roberto Clemente (64.7), Ron Santo (60.1) and Brooks Robinson (59.2) -- all Hall of Famers in their own right. The top 10 is rounded out by Pete Rose (57.9) and Hall of Famers Frank Robinson (55.4) and Joe Morgan (54.1).

“He loved the game,” Willa Allen said. “But more than that, he loved the people in it. Baseball was his first love. He used to say, ‘I’d have played for nothing,’ and I believe he meant it. But of course, if you compare today’s salaries, he played almost for nothing.”

It wasn't just the numbers. Allen had the accolades, too.

He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award with the Phils and the 1972 American League MVP Award with the White Sox. He received MVP votes in six other seasons. He was a seven-time All-Star.

In 2014, Hall of Fame closer and former teammate Goose Gossage told USA Today that Allen was "the greatest player I’ve ever seen play in my life."

"The guy belongs in the Hall of Fame," Gossage said at the time.

That same year, Allen fell one vote shy of induction on the Golden Era Committee ballot. Following Allen's death in December 2020, there was hope that he would be inducted when the Golden Days Era Committee reconvened in '21 ... but he again came up one vote short.

It wasn't until this past voting cycle that the Classic Baseball Era Committee finally elected Allen, alongside Parker. Sharing the same induction weekend is not the only tie-in for Allen and the former Pirates legend known as “The Cobra.”

"He really enjoyed him," Dick Allen Jr. said years ago of Parker. "Actually, Dave gave me a glove. I still have it. It has the 'Cobra 39' on it."

Despite the HOF-worthy statistics, Allen never gained much traction in his initial 15 years on the BBWAA ballot during the 1980s and 1990s. A lot of that stemmed from the narrative that he was too brash on the field and in the clubhouse -- but much of that was in response to the racism he was dealing with throughout his career that spanned from 1963-77.

“I wonder how good I could have been,” Allen wrote in his memoir 'Crash.' “It could have been a joy, a celebration. Instead, I played angry. In baseball, if a couple things go wrong for you, and those things get misperceived, or distorted, you get a label. I was labeled an outlaw, and after a while, that’s what I became.”

It wasn't quite Cooperstown, but Allen did enjoy one particularly special celebration on Sept. 3, 2020, when the Phillies retired his No. 15 jersey in a ceremony at Citizens Bank Park.

Until Allen, that was an honor the Phillies had reserved strictly for players enshrined in Cooperstown.

“But they knew, as we did, that Dick’s legacy transcended technicalities,” Willa Allen said. “… That day in Philadelphia meant everything to him, and to our family. It was a moment we’ll never forget. To see Dick recognized in that way while he was still alive, to feel the love from Philadelphia -- the organization and the fans -- that was a gift.”

And now Allen is one of baseball’s immortals, remembered for eternity in Cooperstown.

“Today, his name is enshrined among the greatest to ever play the game,” Willa Allen said, “and I know beyond all the applause, Dick would want this moment to inspire others to play with passion, to live with heart, and to always be true to yourself. Thank you for honoring Dick. Thank you for believing in him, and thank you for finally bringing him home.”