2023 -- S 1117

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LC003187

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING COACH BRIAN ALLEN OF BURRILLVILLE ON BEING INDUCTED

INTO THE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME

     Introduced By: Senators de la Cruz, Ruggerio, Felag, Lombardo, Ciccone, E Morgan, F.
Lombardi, DeLuca, Tikoian, and Paolino

     Date Introduced: June 13, 2023

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Burrillville native Brian Allen, the longtime Johnson and Wales University

Assistant Wrestling Coach, will be inducted into the National Collegiate Wrestling Hall of Fame

in July of 2023; and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen earned 71 percent of the votes from the Coaches’ Association

thereby reaching the necessary majority of votes by coaches across the country on the very first

vote; and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen has been inducted into the Burrillville Sports Hall of Fame, the

Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame, and the New England Conference College Wrestling

Association Hall of Fame; and

     WHEREAS, In addition to helping build an outstanding program at Johnson and Wales,

Coach Allen has played important roles on various committees nationally, including both the

seeding committees and ranking committees over the years; and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen has been tabbed as the National Assistant Coach of the Year

twice, in both 2017 and 2019, as well as being named the Regional Assistant Coach of the year

six times, including 2004, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023; and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen’s career in wrestling began at Burrillville High School, where

he was a New England champion, graduating in 1987, and while attending Rhode Island College,

was an NCAA All-American twice, in 1989 and 1991, and New England champion all four years;

and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen started his outstanding coaching career in Burrillville serving

from 1992 to 1997, before moving on to briefly serve as an Assistant Coach at Rhode Island

College in 1997 and 1998, before being hired to serve as the Assistant Coach at Johnson and

Wales, a position he has held for the past 26 years; and

     WHEREAS, Thanks in large part to the teamwork, outstanding coaching and leadership

provided by Head Coach Lonnie Morris and Assistant Coach Brian Allen, who have been

together from the start, Johnson and Wales is now considered to be one of the elite wrestling

programs in the nation; and

     WHEREAS, In 2015, the Johnson and Wales Wrestling Team broke into the top ten

nationally, sending four wrestlers to the National Championships, with three earning All-

American honors; and

     WHEREAS, Coach Allen also designed and manage the program’s social media

program, which earned Best Highlight Video of the Year honors from the Coaches’ Association

in 2015-2016; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby heartily congratulates

Coach Brian Allen of Burrillville on being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Coach Brian Allen.

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