Line of duty: Donny Allen may not have been the biggest on the football field, but his plays certainly were

The large, leather-bound scrapbook that sits on the desk of U.S. Probation Officer Donny Allen's desk is filled with mementos of his football playing days - and that is only from his senior season at Tattnall.
It couldn't hold his accomplishments with the Georgia Southern football team, those are captured in another, equally large capsule.
But both objects tell the same story - Allen was a standout football player who could be relied upon to make the "big play." He showed that as he played wide receiver for the Trojans, and again as he continued on to college. - NFL Football -
While the pictures are faded, and the stories two decades old, it doesn't diminish what Allen did during his solitary year at Tattnall, and during his five years at Georgia Southern.
"The ride was fun," said Allen, now 38 and working in the Macon probation office.
With the stories coming from both the scrapbook and Allen, it's easy to tell why he had so much fun. He was unable to play his junior season with the Trojans after breaking his arm, and was in for a change heading into his senior year.
After playing at tailback his entire life, Tattnall coach Barney Hester made Allen a wide receiver.
But his running skills continued to help the Trojans - especially on Nov. 17, 1984. It was the first year Tattnall made an appearance in the GISA Class AAA playoffs under its third-year coach, and the Trojans were embroiled in a battle with Calvary Christian. - NFL Football -
"It was a good, physical game," said Allen, whose wife Susannah teaches at Tattnall. "Those guys were big. They were one of the biggest teams we played."
Calvary was also strong enough to take a 13-point lead before Tattnall even scored. It was Allen who caught a 10-yard pass during the Trojans' comeback to force overtime.
"They got the ball first, and they went in and scored," Allen said. "When it was our turn, we ended up scoring, and then I remember coach Hester calling time out. He came out there and looked at us, and he said, 'Do you want to go for two?'"
Going for the win meant all the pressure was on Allen's shoulders, who doubled as the holder. It was Tattnall's "fire play" and if it was a two-point conversion play, Allen was either supposed to throw the ball, or run it in. - NFL Football -
When the ball was snapped, Allen yelled "fire," but only saw Calvary's white jerseys in the end zone. His only option was to roll right and bear down on the end zone.
"I didn't realize how high I jumped until I saw it," Allen said. "I don't know how I got in because there were several guys around me."
Tattnall won 21-20, and advanced to the second round where it lost 14-6 to Southland.
But when the season ended, it appeared Allen's career would too. He was told he was too small by several colleges, including Valdosta State. He got a break, however, when former Georgia Southern coach Erk Russell gave him preferred walk-on status with the Eagles.
"Coach Hester was a graduate assistant at Georgia Southern, and was instrumental in getting me there," said Allen, who has two children, Jake, 10, and Jordan, 8, at Tattnall, and a third, Wes, 4, on his way. "I ended up earning a scholarship my senior year, and I started and led the team in receptions." - NFL Football -
But Georgia Southern, like Tattnall, ran the triple-option, meaning Allen's job was more to block the cornerbacks than catch the ball. Allen estimates he had 20-25 receptions for nearly 500 yards his senior season.
Still, the criminal justice major won three NCAA Division I-AA national championships with the Eagles - including during the 1989 season when he was a starter.
On the wall of his office are two plaques, one representing that 1989 season when the Eagles went 15-0, and the other commemorating a play Allen had made during the semifinals against Montana.
"It was close at halftime until that play," Allen said. "We were going in at halftime, and our offensive coordinator talked Erk into running the play."
It was a downfield Hail Mary pass to Allen, which almost landed in the arms of a Montana defender before a Georgia Southern running back knocked it out of his arms, and straight into Allen's. - NFL Football -
"The next week was the championship game at Stephen F. Austin, and we won by three (points)," said Allen, who wears the championship ring from that season on his right hand, while his other two are on display at the Macon Sports Hall of Fame. "They said it was the only team in that decade in the NCAA that went undefeated and won the national championship."
Allen only caught three touchdowns his senior year, but caught the eye of NFL scouts after clocking a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash. In 1990, he signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets, and was close to making the cut before he broke his wrist in the final practice.
Allen earned free agent tryouts with the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions, but failed to stick. With his football days over, Allen settled in Macon and began his law enforcement career.
"(Getting injured) was devastating, because I knew I'd never play again," said Allen, who along with Matthew Etheridge are the only Tattnall football players to have their jersey retired. "But I wouldn't trade (career) for anything."

Sarah MeineckeTelegraph Staff Writer