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Miller still holds Cruiser basketball scoring record
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - January 05, 2010)
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| Photos from the 1958 Madisonian |
| Allen Miller excelled in varsity football, basketball, and track at Groveport Madison High School in 1956-57 and 1957-58. |
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| Allen Miller (#11 in white jersey) attacking the boards and scoring in a varsity basketball game for the Cruisers in 1958. |
Groveport Madison High School's Allen Miller was a strong, quick, assertive athlete who was not to be denied and on Feb. 21, 1958 he proved it.
On that night, Miller poured in 42 points as the Cruisers buried Franklin Heights 88-53 in a boys varsity basketball game at the old high school gym (now the junior high) on Main Street in Groveport. Miller's scoring barrage broke Don McKee's single game scoring record of 39 points set during the 1953-54 season. Miller's record still stands today.
In the game (which was played in the days before the three point line existed) Miller made 17 baskets and eight free throws.
"I got most of my points that night close to the basket," said Miller, 69, in a Jan. 3 telephone interview. "I liked basketball. I liked being able to score. I really enjoyed it. It's a different game from football."
"He was so strong and quick, he just went for the basket. He shot a lot of layups that night," said his basketball teammate Jay Montgomery. "He's a great athlete."
In his playing days in 1957 and 1958 at Groveport Madison, where he excelled in football, basketball, and track, Miller stood around six feet tall and weighed about 220 pounds.
"I ate right and took care of myself," said Miller of his physical strength.
"He was in terrific shape," said Cruiser football teammate Gary Eubank. "A great player and a good guy. In football he played fullback and could really bust up the middle. Plus he was so fast. Once he got a step through the line he was hard to catch. In basketball he was aggressive and not afraid to mix it up. He was a good scorer and rebounder."
Eubank said Miller also played linebacker on defense in football.
"I can remember a game against Hamilton Township where Allen destroyed a screen pass play," recalled Eubank. "He broke through the blockers and just flattened the receiver and knocked him senseless."
"Allen was an old school linebacker," added Montgomery.
Miller came to Groveport Madison High School after his family moved to the district from Canal Winchester before his junior year. For the athletic program, the move proved to be the Cruisers' gain and the Indians' loss.
"Allen was great," said John Bender of Canal Winchester, who remembers Miller as a student in his early years in Canal Winchester. "Quick and fast and very strong. Many folks my age in Canal Winchester remember him."
Following high school, Miller went on to play for Ohio University and then was drafted by the National Football League's Washington Redskins in 1962. He played linebacker three years for Washington before moving to the Canadian Football League where he played for many years for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
"I liked playing as a pro because by then you have the experience you need to understand the game. It made it more enjoyable," said Miller.
Today, Miller said he is proudest of his two sons: Wade, who also played for the Blue Bombers for 13 years; and Ritchie, who is a police officer and also played ball in high school and college.
Allen Miller's honors while at Groveport Madison:
•Football: All County, 1957 season; All District, 1957 season; All State honorable mention, 1957 season.
•Basketball: All County honorable mention, 1956-57 season; All County first team, 1957-58 season; co-captain 1956-57 season
•Track: All County track, 1958 season.
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