1972 Profile: Bernie Allen

"A handyman infielder who can play second or third base, injuries have always slowed him down. Born in East Liverpool, Ohio, April 16, 1939, Bernie attended Purdue University where he starred in both baseball and football. He was a top-notch quarterback and led the Boilermakers to a 23-14 upset victory over top-ranked Minnesota in 1960. He chose baseball over football and signed with the Minnesota Twins after graduation.
Bernie spent four full seasons with the Twins, mostly as the regular second baseman, before Rod Carew came along to beat him out. He was traded to Washington in 1966, and came to the Yankees this year."

-Hal Bock, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1972 Edition

"In 1960, two of the best college quarterbacks in America were Jake Gibbs at Ole Miss and Bernie Allen at Purdue. Both chose to play baseball. Gibbs retired from the Yankees last season, so the Yanks went out and got Allen from Texas. That's not only shrewd operating - that's the way to get a terrific infield reserve.
A veteran of ten major league seasons with Minnesota and Washington, Bernie has always hit well in Yankee Stadium, a fact which did not go unnoticed when the Yanks sought some infield depth last winter. The left-handed batter can play second or third and hit with power. He led the league's second basemen in fielding in 1968, and while never a high average hitter, he has always managed a high production of runs batted in.
Bernie and his family still make their winter home in College Park, Maryland. He's six feet tall, 190 pounds, and probably still able to operate out of a T-formation. But Ralph Houk has other plans for Bernie Allen, and Yankee fans will doubtless see a great deal of him."

-The New York Yankees Official 1972 Yearbook

"If Bernie Allen hits for the Yankees the way he did against them, he'll be a big man in the Bronx. He's hit six homers against New York over the past four seasons, five of them in Yankee Stadium.
Originally signed by the Twins in 1961, he was a crack quarterback for the Boilermakers of Purdue. He reached the big leagues after only one season of minor league ball and he looked like a mainstay as the Twins second baseman until he suffered a knee injury in 1964. The Twins eventually traded him to the Washington Senators along with pitcher Camilo Pascual in exchange for pitcher Ron Kline in December 1966.
He's played second and third base the past few years in addition to pinch-hitting. Bernie, who led American League second basemen in fielding in 1968 with a .991 percentage, once hit three consecutive homers against Washington while with the Twins in 1964."

-1972 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide