Michael Allen
Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics

allen@cua.edu

202-319-5286

Dr. Mike Allen, in his sixth year as Catholic University’s director of athletics, has led the Cardinal athletic department to soaring heights of success. His performance was recognized by the school administration with his spring 2009 promotion to associate vice president. The stellar academic and athletic achievements by CUA’s student-athletes have been hallmarks of his tenure.

Most recently, the 2010 Cardinal women’s lacrosse team captured its third consecutive conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  Earlier in the academic year, the 2009 CUA men’s and women’s soccer teams won conference championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  It was the first conference title and NCAA berth for the men and second championship and NCAA appearance for the women.  This followed the baseball team earning conference championships in 2008 and 2009, and the 2008 football team winning the school’s first postseason game in 73 years. The CUA men’s basketball team captured conference titles in 2006 and 2007 and qualified for two NCAA Tournaments, while the field hockey, softball and men’s lacrosse teams have enjoyed program-best victory totals.

One of Allen’s first major tasks at CUA was moving the Cardinals athletic department into a new conference. So he and six other athletic directors of like-minded educational and athletic philosophies began discussions in the winter of 2005 to form a new league. The Landmark Conference, with the support and guidance of the presidents of each institution, began play in the fall of 2007 with eight members. The conference supports CUA’s academic mission, provides competitive opportunities with similar schools and has expanded the department’s recruiting base throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

During his time at CUA, Allen has increased annual fund-raising through a re-structured “Cardinal Club” campaign and facilitated significant improvements to virtually every athletic facility on campus. Enhancements include a FieldTurf playing surface in Cardinal Stadium, a complete renovation of Talbot Baseball Field, a new softball facility, a new Bermuda grass soccer surface and a re-surfaced gym floor. A campaign to renovate the interior of DuFour Center is underway.

Before CUA
Allen came to CUA after serving as associate athletic director for student services at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., beginning in 2002. Prior to that, he worked for two years as football program director for the Counseling Program of Intercollegiate Athletes at the University of Connecticut. Allen began his professional career in the same program in 1993, serving in various roles supporting student-athletes and coaches.

Allen earned his Ph.D. in the sociology of sport during his time at Connecticut. His doctoral research focused on how athletic team communities bolster the intellectual development of intercollegiate athletes. His master’s degree, also from Connecticut, is in sport management.

While receiving his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut Allen played four years of basketball (1988-92) and served as co-captain in his senior year. He finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers and was recognized as the ECAC outstanding scholar athlete.

Allen and his wife, Beth, live in Silver Spring, Md., with their daughter Maya, 6, and son James, 5.