Francis Allen Inducted into 2025 CGA Hall of Fame

The College Gymnastics Association (CGA) announced Friday that former Nebraska men’s gymnastics head coach Francis Allen was named to the 2025 CGA Hall of Fame class. 

An eight-time NCAA National Coach of the Year, Allen was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019, is a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and was the president of the CGA from 2000 to 2008. In 2003, Allen was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. Currently, Allen is a volunteer assistant coach for the Huskers.

Allen, a two-time U.S. Gymnastics Olympic coach, had a 40-year career at Nebraska, coaching nine U.S. Olympians, including three gold medal winners, Trent Dimas, Scott Johnson and Jim Hartung. During the 1992 games, Allen coached Dimas to a gold medal in the high bar. Dimas was the first U.S. gymnast to win a gold medal at a non-boycotted Olympic Games in 60 years. 

In the collegiate realm, Allen led the Nebraska team to eight titles, including five consecutive NCAA Championships, the most in collegiate gymnastics history. Allen seven Regional Coach honors. Under Allen, gymnasts won 41 individual championships, 172 All-American awards and 15 academic All-American awards. At his time at Nebraska, Allen coached all three members of the current Husker staff, Chuck Chemelka, Jim Hartung and John Robinson.

Allen competed for Nebraska from 1960 to 1964 under coach Jack Geier. He helped the Huskers win two back-to-back Big 8 championships in 1963 and 1964. Allen won an event title on parallel bars during the Conference championships in 1964.