Ermal Allen was born & raised in Tennessee. He was a standout high school athlete in basketball, football, golf and track. He earned 16 letters at Morristown High under the legendary Petie Siler. In 1938, he won the Boys State Golf Tournament and at age 18 and he came in 2nd at the Tennessee State Amateur Golf Tournament. Ermal wanted to play football for Tennessee & General Neyland but the General said he was too small. He went to the University of Kentucky, earning 9 letters, a school record that stands today. In basketball, he played for Adolf Rupp winning 2 SEC Championships and was named All-SEC in 1942. In golf, he lost only one match in 1940 and was undefeated the following two years-winning 22 consecutive matches.
In 1943 while in the Army, Ermal was picked by General Neyland to play for the East Army All-Star Football team, The General said he learned his lesson and wouldn’t pass on Ermal again. After WWII, he played for the Cleveland Browns under Coach Paul Brown as defensive back, punter, and back-up quarterback to Otto Graham. The Browns won the All-American Conference Title. In 1948 he became the Offensive Coordinator for Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky. They made 4 bowl appearances during that time, beating TCU in the Cotton Bowl in 1952 to become National Champions. In 1962 Tom Landry offered Ermal a job with the Dallas Cowboys as Offensive Backfield coach. He later became Director of Research and Development – the first Quality Control Coach in the NFL. He remained with the Dallas Cowboys for 22 years. Ermal retired in 1983, having been to 5 Super Bowls-winning two, 5 NFC Titles, 10 NFC Championships, and 12 Division Champions. He coached the NFL Pro Bowl 5 times.
As a golf player, Ermal won the Kentucky State Amateur Golf Championship in 1955 and 1958 and was runner-up in 1956. Ermal was married to Allie Kendall, together hey had 3 children, 9 grandchildren & 13 great grandchildren. There are not many people who had the pleasure of playing for General Neyland, Adolph Rupp, Bear Bryant & Paul Brown in addition to coaching with Bear Bryant & Tom Landry.