As a Punahou elementary school student, Dr. Allen Richardson, Trustee of Punahou School, broke his first swimming record at the Palama age group swim meet in February 1956, one month before his ninth birthday. From that year on Allen held every age group record in the nation for the 50- and 100-yard breast stroke events before he began swimming as an “adult.” He received a total of eight awards (patches) for age groups 9 – 10, 11 – 12, 13 – 14 and 15 – 16.This article appears as originally published in the Spring 1997 issue of the Punahou Bulletin.
In his Punahou varsity career, 1963 – 65, he was undefeated and held the fastest times in the nation for high school swimmers in his individual breast stroke events and in medley relays in which he swam the breast stroke leg. In his sophomore year he established a new national high school 100-yard breast stroke record which he then broke in his senior year.
At Yale University he won four letters in swimming and was a breast stroke All American in his sophomore, junior and senior years (he was ineligible for varsity competition and All American honors in his freshman year). He qualified as a finalist in the 100-meter breast stroke for both the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.
In 1969 Allen attended medical school at UCLA where he met his future wife, Pokey Watson, a two-time gold medal winner in swimming in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. Throughout his professional medical career Allen has continued his avid interest in athletics. From 1977 to 1995 he was in charge of sports medicine for USS (United States Swimming). Allen has attended every Olympics since 1980. For the past four Olympic Games he has served on the Federal International Nacione Amateur (FINA) which does all drug testing for athletes at the Olympics. He is chairman of the International Sports Medical Commission, 1980 to the present and chairman of its Medical Committee governing all aquatic sports (swimming, diving, water polo).
In past years he worked as orthopedic surgeon for both the LA Rams and LA Lakers. At present he is the main orthopedic doctor for the University of Hawaii and team physician for the UH Wahine volleyball team. He has served also as physician for the Damien High School football team.
In short, he has indeed more than satisfied every criteria for induction into the Punahou O Men Athletic Hall of Fame!