The most decorated receiver in the history of Bowdoin College
football, James MacAllen was a player ahead of his time. Looking
back from an era of ever-increasing offensive statistics,
MacAllen’s achievements stood for decades as a tribute to his
excellence on the gridiron.
Bowdoin’s top offensive threat during the golden age of
Polar Bear football, MacAllen’s accolades were many,
culminating with his Associated Press First Team All-New England
honor (all divisions) as a senior in 1965. The recognition came
after a 35-catch, 465-yard, six-touchdown campaign that saw him
establish school records in virtually every receiving category.
He graduated with the most career catches (85), most yards
(1,201), and most touchdowns (15) of any player in Polar Bear
history, with several of those marks being set by the conclusion of
his junior campaign. Still, more than forty years later, his
fifteen trips to paydirt remain the school standard.
His exemplary showing resulted in a tryout for the National
Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles. But, more
importantly, MacAllen played for teams that went 15-8 during his
varsity career, posting the most successful three-year stretch for
Bowdoin football in the last seventy years, highlighted by the
legendary 1963 State Championship squad.
A native of Boston, MacAllen earned All-Maine, All-UPI New
England Small College, and All-East Honorable Mention honors in
addition to his AP All-New England award. He graduated from Bowdoin
with a degree in economics and earned his MBA at the University of
Virginia.
Jim and his wife, Patricia, live in Hingham, where he has served
as a director of the South Shore YMCA as well as on a variety of
other boards and in volunteer roles. He has spent countless hours
working for Bowdoin, including serving on the Board of Trustees,
and supporting various Bowdoin events and initiatives, recently
helping to raise funds for a new scoreboard at Whittier Field.
