Texas Woman Inspires Kids As High School Football Coach
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The North Dallas High School Bulldogs hope to score big this football season, and one special young woman will definitely be cheering them on. But, make no mistake, she will not be sitting in the stands or holding a pair of pom-poms.
"There's a lot of guys coaching," said Desiree Allen. "They don't have a clue, let's just be honest."
Allen is in her third year as an assistant coach with the North Dallas High School football team, and she will not apologize for breaking barriers and tackling a place in a man's world. "If you don't give yourself the opportunity and you don't try, you can't say what you can't do," she said.
But it is not just the football field where Allen is making a difference. As an algebra teacher at the Dallas high school, helping students be successful in the classroom and in life is her number one priority. "Obviously, what they use in the classroom," she said, "they're going to translate into their real life."
"She's a great teacher," added athletic coordinator Brian Barnett, "and you can't be a great coach if you're not a great teacher."
The best teachers are often those who have done it before. For the last five years, Allen has also been a professional women's football player. "She wears a lot of hats," said North Dallas High School head coach Fred Johnson. "She's an inspiration for a lot of young ladies because they're like, if she can do it, I can do it."
In a world believed to be set by limitations, Allen reminds everyone that there are none. But why has Allen's story remained a mystery until this year? "I guess I never thought of it being as big of a story as it was because nobody else did," she said. "They didn't care."
"If you set your mind to it and you're passionate about it, you can achieve whatever goal that is," said Barnett, "and that's the message that Coach Allen sends to our kids."