Helena Frye
Will Allen is a former professional basketball player who played for the Miami Floridians of the American Basketball Association and overseas in Belgium. After his retirement from basketball in 1977, Allen pursued a career in marketing and later became an urban farmer. He founded the nonprofit organization Growing Power, which focused on urban agriculture and local food production. Allen received numerous awards for his work, including the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 2008 and was named one of Time Magazine's The World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010.
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What You'll Learn
Will Allen's career in basketball
Will Allen is a former professional basketball player who went on to become a renowned urban farmer. Standing at 6-foot-6-inches tall, Allen played as a forward and was known for his physical playing style, using his 230-pound frame to his advantage.
Allen played college basketball for the University of Miami, becoming the first African American to represent the school in the sport. He was a prolific center, often leading the team in points and rebounds. During his sophomore year, he averaged 14.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, earning him the nickname the "Rockville Cyclone". Allen's success continued after college, as he went on to play for the Miami Floridians of the American Basketball Association and also competed overseas in Belgium.
After retiring from basketball in 1977, Allen and his wife, Cynthia, moved to her hometown of Milwaukee. There, he began a career in marketing, which he eventually left in 1993 to pursue urban farming. Allen purchased a derelict plant nursery on the north side of Milwaukee, as well as a 100-acre farm in Oak Creek. He named his farming project Growing Power, and it soon became a thriving nonprofit organization with a global reputation. Allen's work focused on sustainable food production and youth education, incorporating innovative practices such as aquaponics and large-scale composting.
Allen's efforts were recognized through numerous awards, including the 2008 MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for his contributions to urban farming and sustainable food production. In 2010, Time Magazine named him one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People". Despite its success, Growing Power faced increasing debt and legal pressure, eventually leading to its dissolution in 2017. However, Allen's impact on urban agriculture remains significant, and he continues his work through his company, Will Allen Farms, LLC.
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Awards and honours
Will Allen, a forward for LA Tech Athletics, has received several awards and honours throughout his basketball career. In 2022, he was recognised in the CUSA Commissioner's Honor Roll. Allen also received the Winter Spirit of Service Award in 2024.
Following his retirement from basketball, Allen pursued a career in marketing and then urban farming. He became one of the world's leading practitioners of urban agriculture, and his work in this field has garnered several notable awards. In 2008, he was awarded the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant". Two years later, Time Magazine named him one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People". Allen's most prestigious honour came in 2011 when he received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the NCAA, and was enshrined in its Hall of Champions.
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Post-retirement life
Will Allen, the first Black basketball player at the University of Miami, retired from basketball in 1977 and moved with his wife, Cynthia, to her hometown of Milwaukee. Allen had played basketball overseas in Belgium, and it was ironically in Belgium that he "rediscovered farming." Allen had grown up working on his father's farm, but upon leaving for college, he had vowed never to farm again. However, when one of his teammates in Belgium owned a farm, Allen began to help out and eventually got back into farming, growing food for his family and other American players overseas.
After his retirement from basketball, Allen and his family moved back to the United States and settled just outside Milwaukee, where his wife's family owned a farm. While working on the farm, Allen also took on full-time jobs to pay the bills, working as a district manager at Kentucky Fried Chicken and later in sales and technology at Procter & Gamble Co. In 1993, Allen left his job at Procter & Gamble and purchased a derelict plant nursery in foreclosure, located on the north side of Milwaukee, as well as a 100-acre farm in nearby Oak Creek, previously owned by his wife's parents. From here, he launched his career as an urban farmer, turning Growing Power into one of the world's top urban agricultural organizations with 40 employees, 13 farms, and providing food for 10,000 underprivileged people annually.
Allen became the director of Growing Power, an urban farming project in Milwaukee, with a 40-acre farm in the town of Merton and an offshoot project in Chicago run by his daughter, Erika. In 2005, Allen was awarded a Ford Foundation leadership grant for his work in urban farming, and in 2008, he received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for his work in urban farming and sustainable food production. In 2009, the Kellogg Foundation granted Allen funding to create jobs in urban agriculture. Allen has also co-authored a book, "The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People and Communities," which was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Agriculture degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in 2011, he received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the highest honor bestowed by the NCAA.
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Urban farming
Will Allen, a former professional basketball player, is a pioneer in urban farming. After a career in marketing, Allen purchased a derelict plant nursery on the north side of Milwaukee in 1993, and also bought a 100-acre farm in Oak Creek, previously owned by his in-laws. This marked the beginning of his journey as an urban farmer.
Allen became the director of Growing Power, an urban farming project in Milwaukee, with a 40-acre farm in the town of Merton and a branch in Chicago. Growing Power built over 100 hoop houses, each with more than 100 yards of compost over asphalt and concrete. Allen's approach to farming was holistic and sustainable; he implemented aquaponics, a closed-loop system that produced farmed fish and simultaneously fertilized plants with their waste. Allen's work extended beyond food production, as decorative plants were used for landscaping and then sold to schools and community centers, funding the continuation of the program.
Allen's influence on urban agriculture and food security has been widely recognized. In 2008, he was awarded the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for his work, and the following year, the Kellogg Foundation granted him funds to create jobs in urban agriculture. Time Magazine named him one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People" in 2010. Allen has also co-authored a book, "The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People and Communities," which was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award.
Despite its success, Growing Power faced increasing debt, and the nonprofit discontinued in 2017. However, Allen continues his work in urban farming through his company, Will Allen Farms, LLC, actively operating in north Milwaukee.
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Will Allen's legacy
Will Allen, born on February 8, 1949, in Rockville, Maryland, is recognized as one of the most influential leaders in the food security and urban farming movement. Allen's parents were sharecroppers in South Carolina until they moved to Rockville, where Allen grew up on a small farm. After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Miami at Coral Gables, Florida, in 1971, where he played basketball, he turned professional and joined the Baltimore Bullets. However, his basketball career ended in 1977, and he moved to Milwaukee with his wife, Cindy Bussler, whose family owned farmland just south of the city in Oak Creek.
Allen's career path took an unexpected turn when he left his job at Procter & Gamble in 1993 and purchased a derelict plant nursery in foreclosure, located on the north side of Milwaukee. He transformed this into Growing Power, Inc., a farm and community food center with the goal of providing job opportunities for youth and helping to feed their communities. Allen designed programs that brought together diverse groups, from the elderly to agricultural specialists, to address issues such as soil health and food distribution. In addition to his work in Milwaukee, Allen also established a 40-acre farm in the town of Merton and an offshoot project in Chicago run by his daughter, Erika.
Allen's dedication to urban agriculture and sustainable food production earned him significant recognition. In 2008, he was awarded the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant," becoming only the second farmer to receive this honor. The following year, the Kellogg Foundation granted him funds to create jobs in urban agriculture. Allen was also invited to the White House in 2010 to join First Lady Michelle Obama in launching her "Let's Move!" initiative to address childhood obesity. Additionally, he co-authored the book "The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People and Communities," which was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award.
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Frequently asked questions
Will Allen is a former professional basketball player who played for the Miami Floridians of the American Basketball Association and overseas in Belgium. He retired from basketball in 1977. Allen was the first African American to play basketball at Miami and was nicknamed the Rockville Cyclone.
Will Allen played as a forward and a center.
Will Allen played basketball for the University of Miami.
