About Inductee

Allen Wayne Paseur is a fifth-generation owner of the Paseur Farms in New Hope, but in his community, hes widely remembered as one of the finest football players and best coaches that New Hope ever produced. Born June 17, 1951, Paseur is a native of Madison County and a man who always made a point of never straying far from his roots. A graduate of New Hope High School, he was a fouryear starter at guard and linebacker and team captain as a senior in 1968, the same year he was named to All-County and All-State teams. Paseur initially walked on at Jacksonville State. By the third game of his freshman year, he was the starting center. Because Allen was redshirted in 1970 due to an injury, he was the only player to be listed on JSUs roster for all of Coach Pells five years at Jacksonville. Paseur was an All-Conference center in 1971, switched to guard the next year and made All-Conference at that position, too. He was one of only two unanimous choices on the All-NAIA district team; the other was Walter Payton, a future member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Paseur was an All-America offensive lineman in 1972 as a junior, but a knee injury ended his career prematurely in 1973. He was later named to JSUs All-Century football team. After earning two degrees at Jacksonville, he returned to New Hope as head football coach from 1974-78 and was named head coach at Bob Jones High School in 1981. Asked about his proudest accomplishments, Paseur lists winning six county championships as a player and coach; winning four Madison County Coach of the Year awards in eight years of coaching; winning nearly 80 percent of his games at Bob Jones (34-9 from 1981-1984); and sending nine players to play in college and one, Ralph Malone, to the NFL. Paseur said his parents, Roy and Idella Paseur, instilled in him a stringent work ethic (be the first one to show up and the last to leave) and the belief that regardless of whatever talent or natural ability you might have, working harder and smarter than the next person is the key to success. His football coach at New Hope, Jack Mitchell, taught Paseur to be selfless and disciplined in life. His college coach, Charley Pell, and high school coach Gerald Hodgins gave him his desire to excel, along with his passion for the game of football, as well as a template from which to coach. His greatest inspiration in life came from his late wife, Deborah Certain Paseur, and their two children, Andrea and Dustin, along with all the young men I had the pleasure of coaching.