Marcus Allen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marcus Allen

Allen in 2013
No. 32
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1960-03-26) March 26, 1960 (age 65) San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lincoln (San Diego)
College:	USC (1978–1981)
NFL Draft:	1982 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10
Career history
Los Angeles Raiders (1982) Kansas City Chiefs (1993)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XVIII) Super Bowl MVP (XVIII) NFL Most Valuable Player (1985) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1985) NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1982) NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1993) 2× First-team All-Pro (1982, 1985) Second-team All-Pro (1984) 6× Pro Bowl (1982, 1984–1987, 1993) 2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1982, 1993) NFL rushing yards leader (1985) NFL scoring leader (1982) AFCA National Championship Trophy (1978) Heisman Trophy (1981) Maxwell Award (1981) Walter Camp Award (1981) SN Player of the Year (1981) Chic Harley Award (1981) Unanimous All-American (1981) Second-team All-American (1980) Pac-10 Player of the Year (1981) Pop Warner Trophy (1981) 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1980, 1981) USC Trojans No. 33 retired
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 12,243 Rushing average: 4.1 Rushing touchdowns: 123 Receptions: 587 Receiving yards: 5,411 Receiving touchdowns: 21
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Marcus LeMarr Allen (born March 26, 1960) is a famous American former professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played most of his career with the Los Angeles Raiders.

Marcus Allen was picked 10th overall in the 1982 NFL draft. This was after he had a very successful college football career. He played for the USC Trojans. He was known for being great at scoring touchdowns from close to the goal line. He also excelled at getting short yards when his team needed them. He played for the Raiders for 11 seasons. Then, he spent his last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

During his time as a pro player, Allen ran for 12,243 yards. He also caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards. He scored 145 touchdowns in total. This included a record-setting 123 rushing touchdowns at the time. He was chosen for six Pro Bowls. While with the Raiders, he helped his team win Super Bowl XVIII. He was the first NFL player to run for over 10,000 yards and catch passes for over 5,000 yards in his career. Marcus Allen is the only player to have won the Heisman Trophy, been a Unanimous All-American, won a college national championship, won the Super Bowl, and been named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Early Life: Marcus Allen's Start

Marcus Allen played football at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California. He played as a quarterback and safety. In 1977, during a big championship game, people could see he was going to be a star. He led his team to a 34-6 win. He scored five touchdowns and ran for 195 yards! He was even named California's best high school football player in 1977.

College Career: USC Star

Allen played running back for the University of Southern California (USC) from 1978 to 1981. He played with other future Hall of Famers like Ronnie Lott and Anthony Munoz. At first, he was recruited as a safety. But his coach, John Robinson, moved him to tailback. As a freshman in 1978, Allen was part of the Trojans' National Championship team. He was a backup to Heisman Trophy winner Charles White.

In 1979, he played as a fullback. He gained 879 yards from running and catching passes. In 1980, Allen became the main tailback. He rushed for 1,563 yards, which was the third-most in the nation that year.

In 1981, Allen had an amazing season. He rushed for 2,342 yards. He was only the second player in NCAA history to run for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards. He led the nation in scoring. That year, he won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award. He was also named the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Allen shares the NCAA record for the most 200-yard rushing games. He did this twelve times.

Allen finished his college career with 4,664 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns. USC has retired his jersey number 33.

College Statistics

Professional Career: NFL Highlights

Allen led the Raiders to a championship in Super Bowl XVIII and earned MVP honors as he rushed for a record of 191 yards, including a memorable 74-yard touchdown run.

The Los Angeles Raiders picked Allen as the 10th overall player in the 1982 NFL draft. Allen was happy because the team had just moved from Oakland. His first season was shorter because of a league strike. Still, Allen rushed for 697 yards. He helped the Raiders get the best record in the AFC at 8–1. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The next season, Allen ran for over 1,000 yards for the first time. He did this again in the next two years. In the 1985 season, he rushed for 1,759 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns. He led the Raiders to a 12–4 record and won the AFC West Division Championship. Allen was also named the NFL MVP that year.

In Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, Allen had an amazing game. He ran for 191 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Raiders won 38–9 against the Washington Redskins. One of his touchdowns was a fantastic 74-yard run. This was the longest run in Super Bowl history for a long time. His 191 rushing yards were also a Super Bowl record. After winning the game, Allen became one of the few players to win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.

Allen playing for the Raiders in 1984 where he rushed for 1,168 yards, scored 18 touchdowns and led the Raiders to their third consecutive playoff appearance.

Allen finished the 1985 season very strong. He was the NFL rushing leader. He had 9 games in a row where he ran for over 100 yards.

From 1987 to 1990, Allen shared playing time with Bo Jackson. Allen was praised for being a good teammate. He shared the spotlight even during his best years. Later in his career with the Raiders, Allen had a difficult relationship with the team owner, Al Davis. This was because of a contract disagreement. Allen also missed most of the 1989 season due to a knee injury. In his last three seasons with the Raiders, Allen played less.

Allen left Los Angeles and joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. He rushed for 764 yards that year. He scored 12 touchdowns, leading the AFC. He and Joe Montana helped the Chiefs reach the AFC Championship Game. Allen scored touchdowns in all three Chiefs playoff games that year. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Allen played for the Chiefs for four more seasons. He led the team in rushing every year except his last.

Allen retired after the 1997 season. In 1999, he was ranked 72nd on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. In 1999, Allen was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season

Postseason

NFL Records

• Consecutive seasons with multiple touchdowns: 16 – (tied with Irving Fryar)
• Consecutive seasons with a rushing touchdown: 16
• Consecutive seasons with multiple rushing touchdowns: 16
• Oldest player to score 10+ touchdowns in a season: 37 years old

Personal Life

Marcus Allen with Yeoman 2nd Class Katherine Ward introduce Aretha Franklin during a concert in tribute to U.S. military members on the National Mall, September 4, 2003

Marcus Allen married Kathryn Eickstaedt in 1993. They later divorced in 2001.

Marcus is the older brother of Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback Damon Allen.

See Also

• List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders
• List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders
• List of National Football League annual rushing touchdowns leaders
• List of National Football League rushing champions
• List of National Football League career rushing yards leaders
• List of National Football League career rushing attempts leaders
• List of National Football League career rushing touchdowns leaders