Appreciating the Greatness of NFL RB Marcus Allen

When talking about NFL running backs, few, if any, are on the level of Marcus Allen. Allen may not have been the fastest, twitchiest, or biggest, but he was smooth, fast enough, could catch out of the backfield, and the defining trait, he could block. In short, Allen could do it all.

More so than others that came before him or after, Allen’s career could have been so much more statistically had offensive coordinators utilized his abilities. The lost years and opportunities with the Raiders in the late 1980s into the early 1990s kept Allen from being on the tip of everyone’s tongue when talking about the NFL’s best backs.

Through the adversity, Allen still produced a Hall of Fame career.

Allen’s Early Years on the Gridiron

A two-way star for San Diego’s Lincoln High School at quarterback and safety, Allen led the Hornets to a CIF title in 1977. Initially recruited to play defense for USC, then Trojans’ head coach John Robinson moved Allen to tailback during his freshman year. In 1979, Allen was moved to fullback rushing for 606 yards off 105 carries with eight scores and pulled in 20 passes for 273 yards.

Going into the 1980 season, Allen was moved to tailback again, watching him explode for 1,563 yards with 14 touchdowns. During his senior season, Allen was phenomenal rushing for 2,342 yards off a mind blowing 403 touches (5.8 ypc) while hauling in 29 passes for 217 with another score.

The honors rolled in for Allen earning Pac-10 Player of the Year, All-American, Walter Camp, Maxwell, and UPI Player of the Year.

Allen with the Raiders

Getting to stay in So Cal, the Los Angeles Raiders selected Allen with the 10th pick in 1982. The strike shortened season kept Allen from breaking 1,000 yards on the ground, but he produced 697 yards off 160 totes in nine games leading the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. Showing his versatility, he secured 38 passes for 401 more yards, finding the end zone three more times. Allen’s play on the field was rewarded with NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

From 1983-85, Allen went over the 1,000-yard rushing milestone in each season.

A career defining moment came in the Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins in 1984. In the third quarter, Allen starts left, sees a wall of defenders, reverses course in the backfield, then breaks a 74-yard run to set a Super Bowl record. Allen finished the game with 191 rushing yards off 20 carries with two touchdowns earning Super Bowl XVIII MVP honors in the 38-9 victory.

The 1985 campaign was Allen’s best leading the NFL in rushing yards (1,759) earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player.

Further proving Allen was an every down back, from 1982 to 1987, Allen caught 38 or more passes in each season producing 400 or more yards in the Raiders’ passing attack during that time span. In 1983, he caught a career-high 68 passes. In 1984, he turned 64 receptions into a career-best 768 receiving yards with five touchdowns.

The ultimate team player, a piece of unselfishness that is rarely if ever seen, at the height of his career, Allen moved to fullback to block for Bo Jackson. From 1986 to 1988, Allen was getting just over 200 carries per season rushing for 754 to 831 yards each season. From 1990 to 1992, the Raiders had effectively written Allen out of their weekly game plans.

Rebirth in Kansas City

Going into his 12th season, Allen was no longer under the restraints of Raiders’ owner Al Davis finding a soft-landing spot with the Chiefs. Executing Kansas City’s offense, legendary QB Joe Montana.

Allen was featured in short yardage situations during his first year with the Chiefs carrying the rock 206 times for 764 yards but posted an AFC best 12 rushing TDs. The effort earned Allen the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 1993.

Over the final five seasons of Allen’s career, all with Kansas City, he ran for 3,698 yards and 44 touchdowns. His last four seasons with the Raiders, Allen ran for 1,563 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Appreciating Greatness

Flying through the air or putting his head down going between the tackles, Allen was as great of a goal line running back as there has ever been. He retired with the most rushing TDs in league history (123). Allen would later be passed by LaDainian Tomlinson (145) and Emmitt Smith (164).

Allen is currently 14th all-time on the career rushing list with 12,243 yards but was sixth on the list all-time in 1997 behind Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, and Jim Brown. After his retirement, he was passed by Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis, Tomlinson, Curtis Martin, Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, and Smith.

Allen’s 2,314 all-purpose yards from the line of scrimmage in 1985 was a single season record when he retired. His career was further defined in 1995 by being the first player to amass over 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.

Playing in 16 playoff games over 10 years, Allen accumulated 1,347 rushing yards and 11 scores while producing 530 receiving yards off 53 receptions with two more touchdowns. Given the quality of opponent in the playoffs, Allen’s 5.0 yards per carry average stands out.

After all the ups and downs, being named a Pro Bowler six times, in 2003, Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.