Josh Allen Biography

Josh Allen was born Joshua Patrick Allen, on May 21, 1996, in Firebaugh, California, US, to Joel and Lavonne Allen. He grew up with his twin brother, Jason, and 2 other siblings, Makenna and Nicala, in their 3,000-acre cotton farm in Firebaugh.

His great-grandfather had moved to the US from Sweden during the Great Depression. Their family farm was established by his great-grandfather in 1975.

In high school, Allen played multiple sports. He also worked on his family farm and at his mother’s restaurant in Firebaugh.

Allen was part of the National FFA Organization while studying at the Firebaugh High School. His agricultural work earned him several awards.

In 2014, he graduated from high school. In December 2017, Allen graduated with a bachelor's degree in social science from the University of Wyoming.

Allen began his college football career during his junior college days in Reedley College. In Allen’s only season at Reedley, he led an offense averaging 452.2 yards of total offense per game and ranked No. 9 among all junior college teams in California (in total offense).

Reedley also averaged 285.3 passing yards per game and scored 39.4 points per game. Individually, his 26 touchdown passes helped him tie at No. 7 among all California junior college quarterbacks, in 2014.

As a freshman, Allen ranked 20th among California JUCO quarterbacks in passing yards. Before the 2015 season, Allen joined the University of Wyoming on a scholarship. However, after playing just 2 games, for the Wyoming Cowboys (and starting in one of them), he sustained a severe collarbone injury that forced him to stay out that season.

In 2016, he recovered and started for Wyoming. The season saw him throw for 3,200 yards and achieve 28 touchdowns. In the 2017 season, he threw for 1,812 yards, scored 16 touchdowns, and recorded 6 interceptions. Allen also helped the Cowboys win over Central Michigan that year.

In the 2018 NFL (National Football League) Draft, Josh Allen was selected as the 7th overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1st round. Back then, he became the University of Wyoming’s highest drafted player.

Allen’s stint with the Buffalo Bills was initially slow. He made his first regular season appearance for the Bills in September 2018, in a match in which he finished with 26 rushing yards and 74 passing yards. In-spite of a loss, the Bills declared that Allen would start in their upcoming match, against the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen scored his first NFL passing touchdown in that game.

In the season’s 3rd week, Allen led the team to their 1st win of the season, in a match against the Minnesota Vikings. In the initial half of the match, Allen completely dominated the match and passed for 196 yards and a touchdown. He added 39 yards on the ground, along with 2 rushing touchdowns.

Allen soon suffered an elbow injury, but that did not hinder his progress. In a subsequent rematch against the Miami Dolphins in the season’s 17th week, Allen was named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week. He also became the first Bills quarterback to lead them in both passing and rushing in a season.

Allen was, however, dragged into a controversy in the beginning of his professional career. It is believed that he had made certain racist and homophobic remarks during his high school days. Allen, however, apologized amid marked criticism, blaming his naivety for those comments.

In his 2nd season with the Buffalo Bills, Allen was named the captain. He had a successful 2020 NFL season, which saw him being named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week 4 times. He also scripted history by becoming the franchise’s first player to win the title more than 3 times in a single season.

In the same season, Allen was also the first Bills quarterback to score at least 300 pass yards and 3 touchdowns in 3 back-to-back weeks, surpassing Jim Kelly's franchise record for most passing touchdowns. Following this, Allen helped his team qualify for the 2019-2020 NFL Playoffs. In 2021, the Bills renewed his contract and extended it for 6 years.

In the 2nd week of his 2021 season, Allen surpassed 10,000 career passing yards in a win against the Miami Dolphins. During a 2021-2022 post-season game against Kansas City, Allen scored the highest post-season passer rating of 149.0, thus breaking Joe Montana’s record of 146.4 made in 1989.

At the start of the 2022 NFL season, Allen helped his team win the NFL Kick-Off Game against the Los Angeles Rams. In the 2022-2023 post-season, Allen helped the Bills win against the Miami Dolphins.

Josh Allen has been associated with the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo. He often visits patients and appears in commercials to support the hospital’s fundraising initiatives. In the 2019 season, he donated $200 to the hospital for each touchdown.

Allen and his family have also collaborated with the hospital to launch the Patricia Allen Fund, named after his grandmother. He has also supported other charitable initiatives, such as the Fresno, California chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Jessie Rees Foundation (which works for children with cancer). He has donated generously to Kaleida Health's COVID-19 Response Fund and the Terry and Kim Pegula Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund, too.

Josh Allen has been associated with Nike, Inc. since the start of his professional career. He is also an NFL ambassador for the Buffalo-based headwear company New Era Cap Company.

In September 2020, he collaborated with PLB Sports & Entertainment and Wegmans Food Markets to launch his own brand of cereal, Josh's Jaqs. He is also a farmer and has invested heavily on his family farm, the Allen Ranch.

Josh Allen met his girlfriend Brittany Williams in childhood, but they began dating in 2017. She is a pilates instructor and a former Fresno State Bulldogs cheerleader. Williams is also a well-known social media influencer and supports Allen on various social media platforms.

Allen is fond of adult standards and oldies music. He is also a talented golfer and has been part of golf championships such as the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, in which he was paired with Keith Mitchell and finished 55th out of 156 pairs.

Allen is also known for his close friendship with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold and Kyle Allen, and they often vacation together. In 2018, Allen purchased a 4-bed, 4-bath house in New York’s Orchard Park, for $659,900.