DALLAS — After decades of anticipation, Dick Allen’s family was overwhelmed with joy upon hearing the news they had longed for. They held hands, prayed, and when the announcement finally came, they embraced each other, exclaiming, “Finally! Finally!”

This Sunday night, the Classic Baseball Era Committee elected Dick Allen into the Baseball Hall of Fame alongside his longtime friend, Dave Parker. Allen had been on the ballot for the very first time in 1983.

“It was like champagne popped,” expressed his son, Richard Allen Jr., 59. “I needed to witness it. We got to see it. Huge sigh of relief… It’s a lifetime of emotions flowing out. It was worth the delay. It just makes it all the more thrilling.”

“It’s long overdue. Long overdue,” he added.

In a private room at the Anatole Hotel, Allen Jr., along with his son Trey and nephew Rick Allen, received congratulatory calls from various Hall of Famers, including Goose Gossage, and Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton.

Middleton, who took the initiative to retire Allen’s number just three months before his passing at 78 in 2020, couldn’t hold back his tears upon hearing the news.

“I’m still crying thinking about it,” Middleton shared. “I just wish he were here to experience it.”

Though it’s unfortunate that Dick Allen won’t be on stage at the induction ceremony this summer, his son insists that his dad would have encouraged everyone to celebrate this significant honor.

To honor Allen, the family decided to celebrate in a way he would appreciate, gathering to enjoy some beers together.

“I’ll be honest,” said Allen Jr. “He always enjoyed green Heinekens. That’s what we’ll be having. Ready to grab some green ones.”

With a sense of humor, Allen Jr. acknowledged that his father would have preferred discussing horse racing more than his own impressive 15-year career, which included seven All-Star selections, the 1964 Rookie of the Year award with the Phillies, and the 1972 MVP award with the Chicago White Sox.

“You know, he never wanted to focus on it,” said Allen Jr. “He never did talk about it. He often expressed gratitude and thought that others were more deserving. I’d tell him, ‘Your numbers are just as good. You deserve this.’”

His father would simply reply, “Yeah, I’m good. I’m good.”

“So, to see it happen tonight is such a joy.”

Allen endured 14 years on the Hall of Fame ballot, including two years on the contemporary era ballot, falling just short of induction by one vote in both 2014 and 2021.

On this night, heartbreak transformed into happiness when Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch began recounting Allen’s statistics. The family instantly recognized that they were about to receive the news: Dick Allen had been chosen, receiving 13 votes from the eight-member committee, one over what was needed.

In their celebration, they missed Rawitch announcing his name on the TV but were jubilant, shouting, “We did it! We did it!”

Then Gossage, who had long advocated for Allen’s induction, called on speakerphone exclaiming, “No [freaking] way!”

If Allen were alive today, his family believes he’d maintain his usual humility, likely preferring to recount horse racing tales over discussing his baseball achievements.

“He’s probably sharing one of his old horse stories,” said Allen Jr., “shying away from the honor while still being thankful. They actually had to send him the MVP trophy because he wasn’t inclined to take it—that’s just his humble nature.”

“For this, I think he’s much happier that I’m doing this and not him.”

As if the night couldn’t get any better, Allen learned that Parker, his close friend from the Pittsburgh Pirates, would also be entering the Hall of Fame. Allen Jr. still treasures the glove, Cobra 19, that Parker gifted him as a child, along with a large photo of the two together.

Having faced significant racial challenges during their careers—Allen once donned a helmet at first base to protect himself from objects thrown by fans—they will now be eternally celebrated together in the annals of baseball history, a milestone the Allen family had begun to doubt would ever materialize.

“I had almost given up hope,” admitted Allen Jr. “I worried that he would eventually be forgotten, and that those who had seen him play would be gone, along with our family’s history.”

Now, he’ll be forever remembered,

He is not just famous for the legendary Sports Illustrated cover where he was juggling baseballs and smoking a cigarette, but also for being among the greatest players in baseball history. As one of the elite power hitters during his era, he had six seasons where he hit over 30 home runs and six seasons with a batting average of at least .300. From 1964 to 1974, he achieved the highest slugging percentage (.561) and OPS (.941) among all players with a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances, only trailing the Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.

Parker was also recognized as one of the most intimidating hitters throughout his 19-year career. As a seven-time All-Star and the recipient of the 1978 MVP award, he finished his career with a .290 batting average, amassing 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, and 1,493 RBIs.

“I’ve been holding this speech in for 15 years,” Parker shared, as he continues his fight against Parkinson’s disease. “This has been a long time coming.”

Indeed, this moment was long awaited for both of these hitters.