Kenny Allsup, a neighborhood legend has passed away at the age of 79. He sponsored the Rancho Track Club Youth Organization for 45 years. Kenny was born in Los Angeles in 1942, and was a graduate of Dorsey High School Class of 1959. At Dorsey he participated in Track and Field. After High School, he worked for the RC Cola and 7UP corporations in sales and merchandising for over 30 years. He began his coaching career by founding the Rancho Youth Track Club in 1975. He also coached youth football at the Baldwin Hills and Jefferson Democrats Pop Warner Organizations. Rancho Track Club has produced many outstanding athletes over the years, who have competed on the college and pro levels such as NFL Referee Edwin “Smiley” Walker, former Rams wide receiver Brian Hawkins, State 400m Champion and former Seattle Seahawks running back Beno Bryant, former San Francisco 49ers defensive back Michael Williams, Kevin Copeland, All-State hurdler Ron Copeland, State track champion and former NFL running back Lamont Warren, former UCLA and NFL running back Sharmon Shah, and former Baltimore Ravens defensive back Calvin Carlyle.
Irvin Davis who has been a teacher and coach at Dorsey High for 30 years reflected on the impact that Coach Allsup had on his life. “I met Coach Allsup when I was in elementary school. I grew up with his sons Darrell and Eric. Kenny was a great coach, father, and role model for all of us in the neighborhood. He had a youthful and boyish spirit about him but on the same token, he was serious, stern, and committed. He gave us all a lot of guidance, support, encouragement, and love. When we played Pop Warner Football for the Baldwin Hills Youth Football Organization I will never forget how Coach Allsup would not allow us to use the N-Word when talking amongst ourselves. That has always stayed with me. Any person who has ever worked with me or been my student or athlete will tell you that I do not allow the N-Word to be used in my presence. That is a lesson that I learned from Coach Allsup.”
In recent years Coach Allsup continued running his track club with the help of former runners such as Saadite Green and had exceptional success in 2004 with the youth girls winning the USATF 4×100 relays and winning it again in 2013 and 2015. The youth boys also went on in 2017 to place 2nd in the 11-12-year-old USATF Junior Olympics. According to Coach Dana Frelow, who is the current Head Coach of the Rancho Track Club and one of Coach Allsup’s proteges and former track athletes, “Coach Allsup’s wisdom in coaching was unmatched. By keeping things simple, the formula for success is able to be achieved without putting the sometimes unreasonable pressure of sports on youth. His common saying of “Keep the Faith”, and plain and simple “Good Job”, were always encouraging, and if there were ever any doubts you could best believe you would hear him tell you that, “It’s all in your Mind.”
Funeral Services are scheduled for January 6, 2022 at Angelus Funeral Home at 10:00AM
