Marcus Allen

1960-

American football player

Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen came to be admired for his intelligence and quiet determination as much as for his skill in gaining yardage. An all-around athlete with a winning smile and boyish charm, Allen's appearance concealed a mature team player. As a senior at the University of Southern California (USC), he was a first-round draft pick, taken by the Raiders under the shadow of that team's move from Oakland to Los Angeles, California. In 1984 Allen was named the most valuable player of Super Bowl XVIII. A Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee, he has been quoted, "There is absolutely nothing that compares with winning."

Born in San Diego, California, on March 16, 1960, Marcus LaMarr Allen is the second of six siblings, the children of Gwen, a licensed vocational nurse, and Harold "Red" Allen, a construction foreman. As a child Allen played little league along with his four brothers. Later, at San Diego's Lincoln High School from 1975-78, he lettered in baseball, basketball, track, and football. He was named to the all-city and all-league football teams and remained strong in academics. Although he played quarterback in high school, he preferred to play running back and opted to attend the University of Southern California (USC) because of the school's history of Heisman Trophy winning running backs.

College Career

After some special team experience as a freshman at USC, Allen spent his sophomore year playing fullback. The switch happened early in the season when tailback Charles White injured a shoulder during the first game, and Allen filled in as the sole fullback offense. He logged more than 100 yards rushing during that first game and spent the rest of the 1979 season at fullback, blocking for White, who won the Heisman Trophy easily that year. The Trojans went 10-0-1 and beat Ohio State University at the Rose Bowl, 17-16. Allen contributed a total of 649 yards rushing, 314 yards in receptions caught, and eight touchdowns scored that season.

For the 1980 season Allen moved into the starting tailback position. It was a demanding position to play and an eye-opening experience. As tailback he was preceded in the job by such USC legends as O.J. Simpson . Allen performed admirably, racking up 1,563 yards that season.

With the Trojans ranked at Number 1, Allen set a personal goal of rushing for 2000 yards during his senior year; it was an unprecedented benchmark. After logging 210 yards in the season opener against Tennessee, he rushed for 274 yards against Indiana the following week. In the third game, a win against the Sooners of Oklahoma, Allen made 208 yards on 39 carries. He made 233 yards against Oregon the following week a the Trojans triumphed 56-22.

The crushing blow of a mid-season loss to the University of Arizona was softened for Allen by the satisfaction of rushing for 211 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown run. Two low-yardage games of 153 and 143 against Stanford and Notre Dame respectively were cause for celebration regardless, as USC won both games. He rushed for 289 and 243 yards against Washington State and the University of California at Berkeley respectively and faced his last two regular season games with a running total of 1,968 yards.

In a freezing rain at Washington that season, he surpassed the 2000-yard rushing mark. He ended his college career with 2,342 yards and won the Heisman Trophy that year.

Allen went to Al Davis 's Raiders in the first round of the 1982 National Football League (NFL) draft. With a whirlwind of agents offering contracts, Allen hired attorney/agent Ed Hookstratten who negotiated a $150,000 contract for Allen's first year, plus a $400,000 signing bonus.

The Raiders

Hookstratten arranged also for Allen to train with Olympic track and field coach Jim Bush, who also trained record-breaking Olympic sprinter Quincy Watts during his 20-year career at the University of California. The training program with Bush helped Allen to improve his endurance and strength as he entered his rookie year with the NFL. One week prior to the season opener against San Francisco Allen moved into the starting lineup. In that game he gained more than 100 yards rushing. A second game against Atlanta was followed by an eight-week (57-day) players' strike, the longest in NFL history.

Chronology

The Raiders returned from the strike with a win in a Monday-night home game against the San Diego Chargers. When the shortened season had ended, Allen had rushed for 697 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 401 receptions that season included three touchdowns. At the Tampa Bay stadium for Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, Allen broke loose for a 74-yard touchdown run after the Raiders took possession of the ball on their own 26-yard line in the last 12 seconds of the third quarter. The score by Allen turned the tide for the Raiders, and the team won the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history. He wrote of the experience later, "There are those moments in life that simply defy proper explanation, so magical that they beg a poet's talent for description. They pass all too soon, a blur in time so quickly gone that there is not ample opportunity to fully appreciate them as they occur. Such a moment for me began when [Jim] Plunkett called the play."

During the 1985 season, Allen injured his ankle at the home opener against the New York Giants. It was the team's third game—and their third straight loss. The injury—although nothing appeared broken—plagued Allen for some time. Although he was named to the Pro Bowl that year, the doctors refused to release him to play, and his stats sagged in 1986.

After a lackluster 1987 season, and another player's strike delay, Allen led the Raiders on the rebound in 1988, for the seventh time in his career. He re-signed with the Raiders in 1989 but played only sporadically through 1991. The 1992 football season marked Allen's eleventh and last with the Raiders. He signed with Kansas City and played out his career with the Chiefs until retiring from professional play in 1997.

When he retired after 221 games played, Allen had logged 145 career touchdowns including 123 rushing touchdowns. His NFL record of 11 consecutive games with 100 or more rushing yards stood from 1986 until 1997. Third in pass receptions, with 587, and seventh on the all-time rushing list with 12,243 career yards, he was a six-time Pro Bowler. His 1985 single season mark of 2,314 combined rushing and receiving yards is the third-highest in the NFL.

Allen, who married Kathryn Eickenstadt on June 26, 1993, lives in Montecito, California. In retirement he works as a sports analyst for the CBS television network's NFL broadcast team.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o CBS Sportsline.com, 2200 West Cypress Creek Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309. Fax: (954) 351-8823. Phone: (954) 351-2120.

Career Statistics

Awards and Accomplishments

SELECTED WRITINGS BY ALLEN:

(With Carlton Stowers) Marcus, St. Martin's Press, 1997.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Allen, Marcus with Carlton Stowers, Marcus, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.

Leder, Jane Mersky, Marcus Allen, Mankato, MN: Crestwood House Inc., 1985.

Online

"CBS Sportsline.com," http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/mallen.html (December 26, 2002).

"Jim Bush, Physical Fitness Consultant," USTCA Coaches Diploma Program, http://www.ustrackcoaches.org/HURDLES/Courses/jim_bush_resume.htm (December 18, 2002).

Sketch by G. Cooksey