Mike Tollin, a Phillies fan from Havertown going back to 1964, first met Dick Allen in 1977 when he was a college radio station reporter trying to get a post-game interview, writes Matt Breen for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Allen initially brushed off Tollin’s “silly question” but invited him to sit down and have a beer when he found out he was from Philadelphia.

That was the start of a 40-year friendship.

Now an award-winning filmmaker, Tollin is working on a documentary about Allen, set to be finished next year.

Tollin was the executive producer of this year’s Chicago Bulls documentary series The Last Dance.

The new documentary on Allen will include interviews with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, suggesting Allen join them in Cooperstown.

Tollin said there’s a compelling case for Allen to be a Hall of Famer. That decision will be made next year, delayed because of the pandemic, coinciding with the documentary’s release.

“But today, Dick Allen belongs right here in Philadelphia in our hearts. In a baseball sense, we raised him. We watched him grow up and grew up with him. Today, finally, we celebrate him and we honor him.”

Read more about Mike Tollin’s documentary on Dick Allen here.

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