Doug Allen
Doug
Allen ’86 is affectionately known as the ‘Anthem Guy’ to thousands
of hockey fans in Buffalo, N.Y. Allen sings the national anthem at
most Buffalo Sabres home games, and when he steps into the spotlight
at HSBC Arena in his signature tuxedo, the crowd goes wild. For the
past 15 years, Allen has been wowing thousands of fans with his
voice and then stirring them to shouts and cheers when he points
directly at the camera on the last word of the last line “and the
home of the brave.”
Allen says he discovered the joys of musical theatre as a student at Houghton and dreamed of being a professional singer. He later went on to receive a master’s in music theater from the University at Buffalo. He attributes a large part of his current success to his Houghton voice professor, Dr. Bruce Brown. “I have great respect for him and what he taught me,” says Allen. “I use that foundation every time I sing.”
When he is not singing for the Sabres, Allen works as a handyman for Buffalo City Mission and is the director of worship at Fellowship Wesleyan Church in West Seneca, N.Y. “On any given day I can fix a toilet, change light bulbs, repair laundry machines, or trouble shoot and fix computerized door locks, paint walls, or build a replacement deflector for a lawn mower. Then I leave City Mission and go to my church office where I attend staff meetings, prepare music and plan my part of the Sunday morning services.”
Allen believes that the spiritual foundation he received at Houghton has been instrumental in helping him stay focused on Christ in all the different aspects of his life. His wife, April, and his three children are a top priority. “At 5 p.m. I go home and try to be a dad,” says Allen. “If I sing at a game, I usually stay for the first period then come home. I still need to be a dad—more than I need to watch hockey.”
Allen still dreams about making a living some day as a professional singer, but he is grateful and content with the life God has given him. “Being a handyman for City Mission in Buffalo was never on my future plans list, but God knew what He was doing when He opened that door. Fixing a water pump is a long way from a bachelor’s degree in music education, but the command is the same: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do your best and to the glory of God.”
“I did not set out to be the ‘Anthem Guy,’” says Allen. “but it was an opportunity God gave me and blessed.” Thousands of Buffalo Sabres hockey fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
