Darius Allen knows what it means to start over.
At 16, he left Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to Pueblo to live with his aunt and uncle. His mother, Sherlyn Reyes, made the difficult decision to send her son West, hoping a change of environment would open new doors. Allen arrived in Colorado in 2009, just in time for his junior year at Pueblo East High School, having never set foot in the state before.
“It was a family decision that I come to Pueblo and live with my aunt and uncle,” Allen said in a 2014 interview with the Denver Post. “I came willingly and began a new chapter in my life.”
That chapter turned into quite a story. Allen went on to become one of the most decorated defensive players in CSU Pueblo football history. He earned the Gene Upshaw Award in both 2013 and 2014 as the nation’s top lineman. In 2014, the Little Rock Touchdown Club named him the recipient of the Cliff Harris Award, recognizing him as the small college defensive player of the year.
After five years playing professional football across the NFL, CFL, and LFA, Allen transitioned into the financial industry, where he’s now building a successful career. These days, when he’s not working, he hits the gym, explores hiking trails, checks out new restaurants, and listens to music.
Allen will return to his alma mater as the keynote speaker for MLK Week and Spring Welcome Week on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. Lunch will be provided, and the campus community is invited to attend.
The event falls just one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which will be observed on Monday, January 19, 2026. The federal holiday, signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, is often marked as a National Day of Service. It encourages Americans to volunteer and give back to their communities in honor of Dr. King’s message.
Allen, now a member of the CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame, will share his story of resilience, transformation, and success as students prepare to start the spring semester.
For more information about MLK Week events at CSU Pueblo, contact the SLICE.
