Alumni Spotlight
Allen Platt ’68: Finding Success in Two Careers
“Always try your best to find joy in your life’s work.”
Some people have a hard time dragging themselves out of bed to go to their job. But Allen Platt, a 1968 graduate of the Boston English High School, wakes up each day excited about his two careers.
The Boston native has excelled as a sports reporter and broadcaster and as a social services professional.
In his senior year at English High, a teacher recognized something special about Platt and presented his name as a candidate for a new scholarship program at Boston College for African-American students. He says, “I finished in four years, earning a BA in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. My successful journey proves that being diligent from the outset leaves teachers with positive impressions.”
Platt’s degree led to a range of jobs in human services at such noted agencies as Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) and at Boys and Girls Clubs, as a program manager for a Transition to Independent Living Program, as a Director of a Cambridge Youth Center, and for the last 15 years with Bay Cove Human Services, an agency providing housing and services to individuals with mental disabilities referred by the Department of Mental Health.
“I grew up in a sports family in the 1960s — the halcyon years of the Boston Celtics. That was where my love of sports began,” he says. “I got into broadcasting as a fun thing. But as the years passed, I grew to love the craft.” Along with his regular jobs, he stayed on the local sports scene despite offers to move up in the business. There were offers to move up in the business but I stayed local to raise my children because that is what fathers are supposed to do,” he told Boston TV sports broadcaster, colleague and long-time friend Jimmy Myers in the Bay State Banner.
Meanwhile, due to his love of sports, Platt started writing short pieces about local teams and athletes for the Banner. In 1975 he hosted a weekly sports talk show on WILD radio. “Meeting and interviewing athletes grew into a second career,” he smiles. “Among my most memorable interviews were Cedric Maxwell, JoJo White, Sam Cunningham, Jim Rice, Bill Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, to name a few.”
Myers says, “Allen and I have worked together on and off the air for more than 50 years. He is always improving on his craft. He has excelled as an analyst and play-by-play man in multiple sports over four decades.”
Along with Bay Cove, Platt still works at Boston Neighborhood Network. He has been a sports analyst with Cablevision, Boston/TV, CN8, and Comcast. He reflects: “The chronology of my media work was an interesting blend of radio 1975-2002 — reporting and hosting a sports talk show — and cable TV sports announcing 1985 to the present.”
Platt recalls, “Two of my favorite high school football memories involved English High. One was in 2021 when English broke a long string of Thanksgiving Day losses to Boston Latin attaining over 60 points in the win. The second goes back to an English High playoff game at B.U.’s Nickerson Field. Less than a minute left in the game, English punt returner Conroy White is waiting for the punt. I thought Conroy was going to score. My partner asked what I thought and I simply said, ”If they make the mistake of kicking in the air where Conroy can catch it, he WILL score, Yes, he scored, giving English the win.”
Platt is extremely proud of his three daughters and son, “all of whom have been bitten by the sports bug to varying degrees.”
His advice to today’s young people: “Always try your best to find joy in your life’s work.”
