Damon Allen facts for kids
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Allen at a Toronto Argonauts game in 2019
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| Born: | July 29, 1963 San Diego, California, U.S. |
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| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | QB |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| College | Cal State Fullerton |
| High school | Lincoln (San Diego, California) |
| Hand | Right |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1985–1988 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1989–1991 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| 1992 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1993–1994 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1995 | Memphis Mad Dogs |
| 1996–2002 | BC Lions |
| 2003–2007 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| CFL All-Star | 2005 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2005, 1991 |
| CFL West All-Star | 1999 |
| Career stats | |
| Passing Comp | 5,158 |
| Passing Att | 9,138 |
| Passing Yards | 72,381 |
| Passing TDs | 394 |
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Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is a former professional football quarterback from the United States. He played for 23 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is known as one of the greatest CFL quarterbacks ever.
Damon Allen won four Grey Cup championships with three different teams. He was also named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. In 2005, at 42 years old, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player. He was a great player who could both throw and run with the ball. In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Allen holds many records. He retired as the all-time leader in professional football passing yards with 72,381 yards. He also finished third in all-time CFL rushing yards with 11,920 yards. Damon is the younger brother of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. He officially retired from playing on May 28, 2008, when he was 44 years old.
In 2010, Allen started the Damon Allen Quarterback Academy. Here, he taught football skills to students of all ages. In 2018, he received the Order of Sport. This honor marked his induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and School Years
Damon Allen started playing football at age six in San Diego, California. He played safety on defense. When he became a quarterback in the Junior Peewee league, his team won championships. They had two perfect seasons and won the league title three years in a row.
High School Sports
In high school, Allen was a talented athlete in two sports. He was the starting quarterback at Lincoln High School. His football team had an amazing 22–2 record with him as quarterback. He helped his team win two 2A Division CIF Football Championships.
Damon also played baseball as a pitcher. His baseball team was ranked number one in San Diego County. He was named a First Team All-CIF Utility Man. He also earned the Tribune Athlete of the Year award in his senior year.
College Football and Baseball
Damon Allen played college football for California State University, Fullerton. He led the Titans to two championships in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). He set a new NCAA record by throwing only three interceptions in over 300 attempts. He also broke seven school records.
Allen was a first-team PCAA quarterback. He was also named the UPI All West Coast team quarterback. In 1984, he was sixteenth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He also played in the Senior Bowl, an All-Star game for college players.
Besides football, Allen was an excellent baseball player. He helped his Titans' baseball team win the 1984 College World Series. He was a pitcher for the team. The Detroit Tigers drafted him in 1984, the same year they won the 1984 World Series. Allen never played for the Tigers. He later signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1993 but chose to play in the Canadian Football League instead.
College Career Statistics
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| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
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| Comp | Att | Yards | TD | Int | Att | Yards | TD | ||||
| 1981 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 1982 | 40 | 90 | 435 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 81 | 0 | |||
| 1983 | 103 | 200 | 1297 | 4 | 3 | 118 | 126 | 5 | |||
| 1984 | 178 | 330 | 2469 | 20 | 3 | 106 | 220 | 5 | |||
| NCAA Career Totals | 322 | 629 | 4218 | 27 | 11 | 269 | 435 | 10 | |||
Professional Football Career
Damon Allen joined the CFL in 1985 with the Edmonton Eskimos. In 1987, he led the Eskimos to a Grey Cup victory. He replaced an injured player and helped his team win 38–36. Allen was named the Grey Cup MVP for his performance.
Playing for Ottawa and Hamilton
In 1989, Allen signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders. In 1990, he had career highs in passing yards (3,883) and touchdowns (34). He also rushed for 776 yards and 7 touchdowns. His play helped Ottawa reach the playoffs for the first time in years.
In 1991, Allen set new career highs with 4,275 passing yards and 1,036 rushing yards. He was named an Eastern Division All-Star. Ottawa made the playoffs for a second year in a row. In 1992, Allen played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for one season. He threw for 3,858 yards and rushed for 850 yards.
Return to Edmonton and Memphis
Before the 1993 season, Allen was traded back to the Edmonton Eskimos. He won the Eddie James Memorial Trophy that year. This award goes to the leading rusher in the West Division. He gained 920 rushing yards.
Allen led the Eskimos to another Grey Cup victory in 1993. This was his second championship. He was named Grey Cup MVP again after a 33–23 win. In 1995, Allen played for the Memphis Mad Dogs, a new CFL team in the United States. He threw for over 3,200 yards in his only season there.
Time with the BC Lions
In 1996, Allen joined the BC Lions. In 1999, the Lions had the best record in the league. Allen threw for 4,219 yards and ran for 785 yards. He was named to the CFL's West Division All-Star team.
In 2000, Allen became the CFL's all-time leading passer. He broke the record of 50,535 yards. He led the CFL with a career-high 4,840 passing yards that year. Allen won his third Grey Cup with the Lions. He threw for 234 yards in the championship game.
Years with the Toronto Argonauts
In 2003, Allen was traded to the Toronto Argonauts. He was 39 years old at the time. In his first game with the Argonauts, he played his 300th regular season CFL game. He also became only the third quarterback in professional football history to pass for 60,000 yards. Allen led the Argos to the Eastern Division Final that year.
In 2004, Allen suffered a serious leg injury. Many thought he might not return to play at 41 years old. But he did! He came back later in the season. In the 2004 Grey Cup Championship, Allen was named Grey Cup MVP for the third time. He led the Argos to their fifteenth Grey Cup Championship, winning his fourth title.
Allen continued to break records in 2005. He reached 5,000 passing yards in a season for the first time in his 21-year career. This win helped Toronto finish first in the CFL East. In 2005, Allen also won his first CFL's Outstanding Player Award.
In 2006, Allen broke Warren Moon's record to become professional football's all-time passing leader. This happened on September 4, 2006, during the Labour Day Classic. The game was paused to celebrate his achievement. In November 2006, he was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players of the modern era.
Allen re-signed with the Argonauts in 2007. He started the season as their quarterback. However, he later suffered a toe injury and was placed on the injured list. Allen announced his retirement as a player on May 28, 2008. He stayed with the Argonauts as a special advisor.
Records Upon Retirement
When Damon Allen retired, he held several impressive records:
- He played 370 career CFL games, ranking third all-time.
- He had the most career CFL starts by a quarterback (304).
- He was first in career professional football passing yards.
- He was first in career CFL rushing yards for a quarterback (11,920).
- He was third in overall career CFL rushing yards (11,920).
- He was first in career CFL rushing touchdowns for a quarterback (93).
- He was third in overall career CFL rushing touchdowns (93).
Post-Retirement Life
In 2018, Damon Allen was honored with the Order of Sport. This meant he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Damon Allen has three daughters and a son. They live in Oakville, Ontario. He works as a special assistant to the General Manager of the Toronto Argonauts.
