The long goodbye
Longtime Channel 13 sportscaster Bob Allen announces plans to leave station atyear's end
Longtime Channel 13 sportscaster Bob Allen surprised viewers of the 10 o'clock news Tuesday night when he said he would leave his position at the end of the year after 38-1/2 years at the station.
He said it was something he has been kicking around for a few years and emphasized that he is not retiring.
"I just want to do some other things while I can," he said. "(I've) got a lot of stories to tell from over the years and it's one of the things I really want to do. I enjoy public speaking, talking about sports, talking about life."
The Houston native, who has not seemed to age on camera over the years, added that he is putting his thoughts together for a book and has had discussions about working with the radio/TV department at Stephen F. Austin State University, his alma mater.
"I still want to do TV but maybe in just a different form from what I've done here. I really do want to spend some more time with my family," he said.
According to his biography on the Channel 13 website, Allen came to the station in 1974 as Weekend Sports Director. Six months later he was named Sports Director, and is believed to have had the longest tenure of any major market sports anchor in the country.
Throughout his television career, Allen has appeared alongside news anchor Dave Ward, who joined the station in 1965 and is currently recuperating from hip surgery as the result of a fall just before an evening newscast earlier this month.