- Keith D. Yates
- 9 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Allen R. Steen
RIP: 1940–2025
A Pioneer of American Karate and the Architect of Texas Martial Arts
Texan Allen Steen was one of the most influential pioneers of martial arts in American history. He was the first American-born black belt under Jhoon Rhee, making him the first Tae Kwon Do black belt ever promoted in the United States.
Subsequently his efforts and influence account for an empire of hundreds of schools throughout the United States and beyond, while tens of thousands of black belts can trace their roots back to him.
In 1958, a young Allen Steen went to the University of Texas at Austin to study business and there his life path was forever changed when he saw a demonstration of Tae Kwon Do by Jhoon Rhee—the man who had introduced the Korean martial arts into the USA. Interestingly, the college administration thought the term “martial arts” to be confusing and the exhibition was billed as “athletic stretching” and several of the university sports teams were in attendance.
Steen recalled that most of them weren’t paying too much attention to the diminutive Rhee showing off his stretching and were more interested in talking among themselves. Frustrated, Rhee invited some of the football players to come up onto the stage and try to grab or punch him. After a little cajoling by their friends, a couple actually did. Diron Talbert (who ended up playing several seasons in the NFL) took a half-hearted swing at Rhee who immediately side kicked him in the solar plexus knocking the six-foot-plus defensive tackle to his knees.
Needed to say, Steen was impressed and immediately joined Rhee’s fledgling class. He recalled that Rhee ran the class like a military boot camp. However, as a track and field athlete and boxer accustomed to extreme workouts, Steen persevered and became Rhee’s first black belt in America.
That hard-nosed style of training set the stage for his no-nonsense approach to martial arts. Allen Steen became one of the most noted champions of early American martial arts competitions. He beat Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris back-to-back to win Ed Parker’s 1966 Long Beach International Karate Championships in California.
That same year he was a member of the victorious U.S. National Karate Team competing in Hawaii along with Mike Stone, Skipper Mullins and Chuck Norris. Black Belt Magazine rated him one of the top ten fighters in the country. Mr. Steen’s favorite technique was a sliding sidekick and he would often, literally, knock his opponents out of the ring with it.
After a brilliant tournament career, Mr. Steen’s coaching and business abilities established him as one of the pioneers of the business side of American martial arts. He opened the very first commercial school in the entire state in 1962, and soon established schools across Texas. He also partnered with many of his students who began schools in other states and countries.
His United States Karate Championships, held annually in Dallas became one of the largest and most prestigious events in the country, eventually becoming a springboard for champions such as Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis and Skipper Mullins. 1973 was its biggest year as over 2,000 competitors gathered in the Dallas convention center and ABC’s Wide World of Sports televised a portion of the black belt competition.
In 1966, Steen had founded the Southwest Karate Black Belt Association, one of the very first martial arts organizations in the U.S. It was soon renamed the American Karate Black Belt Association as its influence spread nationwide.
Not only did he open that first school in the Lone Star state, Steen soon owned eight more schools across Texas and interests in numerous others across America and even in Europe. His innovative business practices became the example for other school owners, tournament promoters and teachers worldwide.
But business never got in the way of his high standards. Grandmaster Steen was known as the “Father of Texas Blood and Guts Karate” because he and his stable of black belt champions were ferocious competitors whenever they stepped into the ring. In fact, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace once said that a point in a Texas tournament would be called “murder” in most other states.
Steen’s students included famous world-class fighters like Skipper Mullins, Pat Burleson, Fred Wren, Demetrius Havanas, D. P. Hill, and Roy Kurban. His black belt protégés went on to become noted teachers, authors and grandmasters such as Larry Caster, Keith Yates, James Toney, Richard Jenkins, Marian Erickson, and Royce Young. There are literally tens of thousands of black belts worldwide who trace their lineage back to Mr. Steen.
After retiring from active teaching in commercial settings he was a successful oil executive, founding SESCO Petroleum, an oil exploration and drilling company, with his college roommate Dr. Frank Elliot. An outstanding athlete, Steen excelled at golf and snow skiing and also became a national champion skeet shooter, being voted to the All-American Team three times. He became a pilot and even owned his own plane.
Allen R. Steen passed away in December of 2025 just after Christmas. His funeral services were held in Dallas, Texas and officiated by Dr. Keith D. Yates, one of his original black belts. A host of martial arts luminaries attended to pay tribute to this giant of Tae Kwon Do and karate. His legacy will certainly live on for generations to come.
