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Joseph "Ted" Allen

A group of men plays horseshoes in Kansas City, between 1935 and 1943Joseph Theodore “Ted” Allen was born March 29, 1908, in Osborne County, Kansas. Allen, along with four brothers and five sisters, grew up playing horseshoes on the family farm. In 1922 Allen and his family moved to Colorado where Allen’s horseshoe pitching career began. Allen was state champion of Colorado eight times and in 1933 traveled to the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois where he became a world champion for the first time. Allen went on to win the world champion title nine more times and is the second highest in number of world champion wins.

Allen holds many world records for horseshoe pitching, including the highest number of consecutive ringers at 72. Allen gave many exhibitions across the country, including at Madison Square Garden. Allen also made horseshoes during his free time, which became very popular among the horseshoe pitching community. Allen died January 26, 1990, in Boulder, Colorado.

Entry: Allen, Joseph Theodore

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: May 2012

Date Modified: March 2016

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.