Marcus Allen Hall of Fame Superstar Rusher
Born March 26, 1960, in San Diego, California, was Marcus Allen, the stud running back from Southern Cal. Marcus was a good player, but in his first two seasons, he was often used as a fullback who blocked for Charles White, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1979. The patience that Allen learned from his first- and second-year student seasons and the success he saw bring the team and White resonated in the young back. In 1980, Marcus was elevated to tailback, and he had the opportunity to show off his rushing skills. The NFF says he not only led the team in rushing yards but in receiving yards as well in 1980 and 1981. In 1980, he rushed for 1,563 yards, which was second in the nation. In 1981, he ran for 2,342. He led the nation in scoring 12.5 points per game, rushing 219.9 yards, and all-purpose running 232.6 yards per game.
In 1981, Marcus won the Heisman, the Walter Camp Foundation Award, the Maxwell Trophy, and the Pop Warner League Player of the Year honor. Marcus Allen was honored to be selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. The Los Angeles Raiders used their first-round pick to take Marcus in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He was the 1982 NFL Rookie of the Year, NFL MVP in 1985, and the very first player in the League’s history to rush for more than 10,000 yards while also having receiving yards exceeding 5000 yards.
Allen stayed with the Black and Silver for eleven of his 16 seasons in the NFL, spending the last five with the Kansas City Chiefs. For his pro career, Marcus compiled 12243 yards of rushing with 123 touchdowns and another 21 scores from catching passes, with 5411 yards receiving. Allen was a two time All-Pro and played in 6 Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined the great Marcus Allen in 2003.
