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) UPI Player of the Year (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 former professional football running back. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Most of his career was with the Los Angeles Raiders.

Marcus Allen is known as one of the best short-yardage runners in NFL history. The Raiders picked him 10th overall in the 1982 NFL draft. This was after a great college football career with the USC Trojans. He played for the Raiders for 11 seasons. Then, he spent his last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

During his career, Allen ran for 12,243 yards. He also caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards. He scored 145 touchdowns in total. This included 123 rushing touchdowns, which was a league record at the time. He was chosen for six Pro Bowls. With the Raiders, he helped the team win Super Bowl XVIII.

Marcus Allen was the first NFL player to gain over 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. He is also the only player to win the Heisman Trophy, be a Unanimous All-American, win an AFCA National Championship Trophy, win the Super Bowl, and be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. He joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2021, he joined the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Early Football Days

Marcus Allen played football at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California. He played as a quarterback and safety. In 1977, he led his team to a big 34–6 victory in the CIF Title game. He scored five touchdowns in that game. He also ran for 195 yards. Allen was named Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football in 1977. This award goes to California's best high school football player.

College Football Career

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. He was first recruited as a safety. However, 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 and gained 879 yards.

In 1980, Allen became the starting tailback. He rushed for 1,563 yards, which was the third-most in the nation. In 1981, Allen had an amazing season. He rushed for 2,342 yards. He was only the second player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also 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 holds an NCAA record for the most 200-yard rushing games. He achieved this twelve times. He shares this record with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne.

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

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

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 drafted Marcus Allen as the 10th overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft. He was happy to stay in Los Angeles since the team had just moved there. His first season was shorter due to 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.

In his second season, Allen rushed for over 1,000 yards. He did this again for the next two years. During the 1985 season, he rushed for 1,759 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He led the Raiders to a 12–4 record. He also helped them win the AFC West Division Championship. Allen was 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. His 74-yard touchdown run was the longest in Super Bowl history for many years. His 191 rushing yards were also a Super Bowl record at the time. After winning, 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 with nine straight 100-yard games. From 1987 to 1990, he shared the backfield with Bo Jackson. Allen was praised for being a good teammate. Later in his Raiders career, Allen had problems with owner Al Davis. This was because of a contract disagreement. Allen also missed most of the 1989 season due to a knee injury.

Allen left the Raiders and joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. He rushed for 764 yards that year and scored 12 touchdowns. He led the AFC in touchdowns. 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 by the Pro Football Writers Association.

When Eric Dickerson retired in 1993, Allen became the active leader in career rushing yards. He held this position until Barry Sanders passed him in 1997. 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. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Allen also joined the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. In 1999, he was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Postseason Stats

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

In 1986, Marcus Allen met Kathryn Eickstaedt. They married in 1993. The couple later divorced in 2001.

Marcus Allen 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