Coyce Allen

Coyce Allen was inducted into the THPA Hall of Fame in 2013 becoming the 40th Member to be inducted.

Since joining the THPA 28 years ago he has pitched in several hundred sanctioned tournaments across Texas, Louisiana & Oklahoma. He won Class Champion at the 1992 & 2004 State Singles Championship. His high ringer percentage for a single game during a sanctioned tournament is 68%.

He has also participated in 7 World Tournaments and entered the WT in Ainsworth, Ne with a 52.8 ringer percentage.

Some of his contributions to the THPA include working with 4 different cities to design and construct 49 sanctioned courts across North East Texas. In addition to building the courts he also assisted in forming the Kilo Bay Club, the “New” Carrollton Horseshoe Club, the Little Elm Club and most recently the Chandler Club. Over the past 25 years these facilities have combined to host approximately 120 sanctioned tournaments. He is currently assisting with the design of Little Elm’s “New” facility, which is to include 12 lighted courts and a 30 x 40 pavilion.

In an effort to increase public awareness of the THPA he worked with event officials to set-up portable courts in the Dallas Convention Center during the Belo Garden & Landscape Show for two consecutive years. During these three-day events he organized a small tournament and pitching demonstrations by fellow THPA pitchers.

Over the past three years he has contacted several Texas cities in regards to hosting the World Tournament. As a result, Wichita Falls successfully submitted Texas’s first ever bid for the 2015 WT. And possibly a second bid in the near future from Beaumont.

In addition to being a Tournament Director for the past 15 years, he is a member of THPA’s Rules & Advisory Committee and served as an Assistant Regional Director before accepting the Regional Director for Texas. He has always supported the different clubs; often attending tournaments and World tournaments – even when he was not there to pitch.

I have never known Coyce to say “no” to a fellow pitcher who asks for his direction or help – whether it’s installing backyard courts, pitching info, or whatever.

Coyce just doesn’t give up. His work or health issues have prevented him from pitching in tournaments as much as he would like, but, how many right-handed pitchers would work and struggle to pitch left-handed just to be able to continue pitching at 40’? Working hard to do it left-handed before making a decision of possibly moving up to 30’?