| Marcus Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Marcus LeMarr Allen |
| Born: | March 26, 1960 |
| Birth Hometown: | San Diego, California |
| Occupation: | Running back |
| Known for: | Playing Football |
Marcus LeMarr Allen (born March 26, 1960) is a former American football running back and analyst who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in NFL history, he was selected 10th overall by the Raiders in the 1982 NFL Draft, following a successful college football career at USC. He was a member of the Raiders for 11 seasons and spent his last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
During his professional career, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards. He also scored 145 touchdowns, including a then-league-record 123 rushing touchdowns, and was elected to six Pro Bowls. While with the Raiders, he helped the team win Super Bowl XVIII. He was the first NFL player to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards during his career. Allen has the distinction of being the only player to have won the Heisman Trophy, an NCAA national championship, the Super Bowl, and be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Career[]
Allen played football at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California, where he played the quarterback and safety positions. Watching Allen in the 1977 CIF Title game against Kearny High School (San Diego, California), one saw the emergence of a superstar. Allen led the Lincoln team to a 34-6 victory, scoring five touchdowns, including one after intercepting a pass. Allen rushed for 195 yards.
Allen played running back with the University of Southern California (USC) from 1978 to 1981. He was recruited as a defensive back, but head coach John Robinson switched him to tailback. As a freshman in 1978, Allen was a member of the Trojans' National Championship team (as recognized by the coaches poll), playing as a backup to eventual Heisman Trophy winning running back Charles White.
In 1979, he was moved to fullback. Eventually, in 1980, Allen became the starter at tailback and rushed for 1,563 yards, the third-most in the nation that year (behind George Rogers of S. Carolina - 1,781 yards and Herschel Walker of Georgia - 1,616). In 1981, Allen rushed for 2,342 yards, becoming only the second player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season, passing the 2,000-yard mark in a win at Cal. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award. He was also the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Allen shares the NCAA record for most 200-yard rushing games with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne, each completing the feat twelve times.
Allen finished his four college seasons with 4,664 rushing yards, 5,232 total yards, and 46 touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
USC has retired his jersey #33.