High School
He played football at Lincoln Senior High School in San Diego where
he played the quarterback and running back positions.
Marcus LeMarr Allen (born March 26, 1960 in San Diego, California)
College - USC
Allen played running back at the University
of Southern California from 1978-1981. He
spent his first 2 seasons at USC as a
backup to Heisman Trophy winning running
back Charles White. In 1980, he became a
starter and rushed for 1,563 yards, the
second most in the nation that year. Then
in 1981, Allen had one of the most
spectacular seasons in NCAA history. He
rushed for 2,342 yards, becoming the
second player in USC history to gain over
2,000 yards in one season. He also gained
a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the
Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy, and Walter Camp Award and
was also the Pac-10 player of the year. Allen shares the NCAA record
for most 200-yard rushing games with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne,
with twelve games reaching the bicentennial mark.
USC has retired his jersey number (#33), and coach John Robinson
called Allen "The greatest player I ever saw"
NFL - Oakland Raiders
Allen was drafted as the tenth overall pick on the first round of the
1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders. In his rookie season in
1982, he rushed for 697 yards as he led the Raiders to the best
record in the AFC with a strike-shortned 8-1 record and was elected as
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Raiders would lose to the New
York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
The next season, Marcus rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time, he
would do that again in 1984 and 1985. That season, he rushed for 1,759
yards and scored 11 touchdowns on 380 carries as he led the Raiders to
a 12-4 record and the AFC West Title and was named the NFL MVP.
During that time, he also caught 60 or more receptions for 3 years
running (1983-85).
Allen is best remembered for his heroics in Super Bowl XVIII. He ran for
191 yards, caught 2 passes for 18 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns in the
Raiders 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins. This included a 74-
yard touchdown run, a record that was the longest run in Super Bowl history, until Super Bowl XL when it was broken by Willie Parker,
by a single yard.
Photos from Super Bowl XVIII - Marcus Allen MVP
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NFL - Chiefs
After a stormy relationship with Al Davis including missing most of the 1989 season with a knee injury, he left Los Angeles to join the
Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, that year he rushed for only 764 yards, but scored 12 touchdowns leading the AFC[5], as he and Joe
Montana led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year that season. Allen
went on to play for the Chiefs for four more seasons, leading the team in rushing every year but his last. Allen's main contribution to
the Chiefs was his leadership abilities. The Chiefs won more games than any other NFL team during his tenure in Kansas City.
In 1995, Marcus made NFL history when he became when he became the first player in league history to rush for over 10,000 yards
and catch passes for 5,000 more. As further evidence of his versatility, Allen completed 12 of 27 passes for 282 yards and six
touchdowns during his career.
In 15 career playoff games, he carried the ball 267 times for 1,347 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.0 yards per
carry average. He also added 52 catches for 522 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Marcus Allen Career Highlights
Heisman Trophy - 1981
Walter Camp Award - 1981
Pac-10 Player of the Year - 1981
All-Pac 10 - 1980, 1981
NFL Rookie of the Year - 1982
Super Bowl XVIII MVP
NFL MVP - 1985
All-Pro - 1982, 1985
Named to six Pro Bowls - 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994
Comeback Player of the Year - 1993
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame - 2000
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003
