One week ago, Cowboys Nation was rocked by some unexpected news.
Larry Allen, former All-Pro turned Hall of Famer and one of the greatest linemen in not only Cowboys’ history, but NFL history died suddenly while on vacation with his family in Mexico.
Allen was 52, but it seems like just yesterday he was mauling defensive linemen and opening running lanes for whoever happened to be lined up in the Dallas backfield.
The massive and versatile offensive lineman from Sonoma State made a living punishing defenders in the run game, but he still had the agility to dance with pass rushers to keep his quarterback clean.
As a rookie in 1994, Allen started 10 games at right tackle in place of an injured Erik Williams. One of those starts was a playoff game versus the Packers in which the great Reggie White used one arm to throw Allen to the side.
It’s one of the most famous clips showing White’s power, but is also rare because at no other point in his career did Allen get manhandled like that day.
His 2nd year would mark the start of seven straight seasons earning All-Pro honors. It would also mark a run of three consecutive seasons as the starting right guard.
In 1998, Allen earned All-Pro honors in his only season playing left tackle before moving to left guard for the remainder of his career.
Today, I want to revisit three of the top moments in the Hall of Fame career of Larry Allen.
The Touchdown Saving Tackle
In Allen’s rookie season, the Cowboys visited the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints near the end of December.
Troy Aikman dropped back to pass. It was a quick three-step drop and he fired a pass to Michael Irvin running a slant pattern on the right side of the formation.
A Saints defensive end got one of his hands on the ball and it ricocheted into the waiting arms of Saints LB Darian Conner.
Conner appeared destined for the endzone but an incredible effort by Allen to chase the play down and force him out of bounds saved the touchdown.
Allen appeared to be a madman in pursuit, making up ground and taking the perfect angle even over Aikman and Irvin.
It remains one of my favorite clips to watch.
The 700-lb Bench Press
One of Allen’s most well-known traits was his brute strength. He didn’t perform the bench press at the NFL Combine before being drafted but he did participate in a skills competition where he lifted 225 pounds a whopping 43 times.
His bench press skills once again were on display in the Cowboys weight room. Allen, a monster of a man, was able to bench press 700 pounds for one rep.
If you can say that your PR is 700 pounds, you might be in the correct sport playing on the interior of the offensive line.
Allen was surrounded by his teammates, namely WR Raghib “Rocket” Ismail during his walk up to the bench for the earth-shattering attempt. It was successful and the entire weight room went wild.
It was an amazing scene that Allen surely remembered for the rest of his life, and the rest of us get to relive it with him every time we see the clip play.
https://twitter.com/geoffschwartz/status/1797660628834009399
John Madden Swoons
In a game versus the Indianapolis Colts in the early 2000s, Fox’s A-team was on the call. John Madden and Pat Summerall are iconic voices in NFL broadcasting history, and Madden dedicated an entire drive to Larry Allen.
Allen used strength, power, and leverage to put on a blocking clinic for the entire drive ending in a touchdown run by backup RB Troy Hambrick.
It’s bittersweet to hear the iconic voice of John Madden gushing for Allen as he watched him toss around Colts defenders for the duration of an entire drive.
Allen will be missed by many, but his memory will live on forever in the film he put on tape.
