The Man Who Didn't Play Checkers With Einstein

 

Not everyone’s life has transformational moments that set one’s life on a different course as did George Allen’s. During the 60’s and 70’s, George Allen was one of the most eccentric, superstitious and winningest coaches in pro football.

But in 1944 he was a midshipman at Princeton, and he became obsessed with meeting Albert Einstein, also at Princeton. He heard that Einstein was a checkers player, and George became obsessed with the desire to challenge him to a game so one Sunday after church, George walked to Einstein’s off campus house and knocked on his door. Einstein answered, George introduced himself and told him of his intentions and asked the Professor if he would oblige.

Einstein said he was not much of a checkers player but after being persuaded by George’s pleading, he reluctantly agreed and said he did not own a checker board and asked George if he had brought one. George had not, so they said their goodbyes and George turned to leave.

On his way back to campus George began an extended, self-lacerating, internal dialogue. What haunted him wasn’t the fact that he forgot the checkerboard because he had not. In fact, he strongly considered bringing it but what stopped him was the thought that walking across campus to church and then into town caring a checkerboard would make him look crazy.

Having lost an opportunity, George made a vow never to worry about what people thought of him ever again and by the time he took the coaching job with the LA Rams in 1966, he had left it far behind.

George Allen was a winning coach and was known and sometimes ridiculed for his eccentricities but after the Einstein experience, he let them talk. He was a perennial playoff team with the L.A. Rams and Washington Redskins and also won the NFC Conference Championship in 1972.