Marcus Allen A Football Life

it would be goal to go on the one-yard line and I used to smile because there wasn't a soul in the stadium that didn't know what we were gonna do hey let's go our best play with our best player what do you think we call everybody in this place knows they know everybody in the stadium knows who's getting the ball they know it your team knows it it is attitude but you also have to have intelligence you have to know what you're doing I could squeeze through these tight little holes tunnel my way power my way through [Music] and I could score by air [Music] I was gonna score but I always knew where the soft spots were [Music] touchdown for Kansas City his 100th career rushing touchdown is 100 rushing touchdown Jimmy Brown is 114th career touchdown there are two types of players those who know and those who don't the smartest ones usually play the longest and usually the most [Music] [Music] it is a team game [Music] I trusted everyone had a great day despite the the weather didn't cooperate the spirit and light of everyone here I think heated up the afternoon which is really important to me you know so my mom and my dad after 54 years in perfect union I've often said this I didn't have to look any further than the dining-room table for my role model I always wanted to honor my parents I always wanted to realize my dream too Marcus Allen was a football star for Lincoln High School in San Diego I was a defensive player loved to hit people one time he made the one game 49 tackles but they needed a quarterback and coach wanted him to play quarterback and he really didn't want to I went under center as instructed and I fumbled the ball I think it was maybe eight times in a row and I did it on purpose and he knew I did it on purpose and so he kicked me off the team which was shocking to me because that was the best player on the team potentially the best player in San Diego and one of my father raised him hey let's say are you crazy what do you think you are what do you think you're doing and my dad didn't do that at all he want me to go up there and beat up the coach I said no you got to be a team player Alan returned to the team his senior season he played defensive back and also quarterback Lincoln won the county finals and he scored all five of the team's touchdowns the performance earned him a scholarship to USC and a trip to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City it was a Hertz number-one award for the most outstanding performance and I represented the state of California Oh Jay was the Hertz spokesperson and he was one of my favorite players of all time when he walked into the room he said whereas young man is going to USC and that was me for a you know 18 year old kid going to us saying meeting probably the greatest Trojan of all time it was it was great after leaving Lincoln where he played both ways Allen was unsure where he play at USC depends I think I'd like tried to win the Heisman if I playing off of this position but I'm trying to go on to college and give me degree he was gonna be a defensive back he was gonna be a part of our group having Dennis Smith having Joey browner and possibly Marcus Allen that would have been a great secondary but tailback not defensive back was the position USC was famous for tailback was the position I really cared the most about there was a tradition of greatness at that position and a responsibility that went with it I was kind of always conspiring to to find the next tailback and I'd kind of had Ronnie in the back of my mind as maybe moved in that position but coach Robinson was swayed by one of his first conversations with Allen [Music] about three days into our practice he was standing in the lobby where we have the Heisman trophies of past players and he was kind of staring at it I said it's gonna be hard to what eyes been playing defense to the bank but I always wanted to win one that was the interesting thing I made the right decision I got Marcus on offense and rowdy our defense Alan was moved to running back but as the 190 pound sophomore fullback for number 12 senior Charles white he's the lead blocker we're running the ball dirty 40 times a game you would look at I mean you were sick how's this guy taking this punishment his nose broken you know bruised up and yet he never complained he knew that there was a sacrifice to be made for this team with Alan at fullback white brand for over 1,800 yards USC did not lose a game and white became the third Trojan tailback to win the Heisman Trophy the following year for the first time in his life Alan was a tailback no player figures to come under more scrutiny than Marcus Allen the University of Southern California although he'll take the field is a virtual unknown he has been asked to play the most glamorous role in college football to be the tailback at USC the guys out there have nicknamed him little juice because he reminds mofos Jeff do you think it's fair to make comparisons not really but you have to stand I think anytime you're playing a position such as us you tell Baker you're gonna be compared to I guess the other great running backs it's just I guess comes with the territory so you're gonna have to be prepared and be able to accept that if there was one of the former Trojan tailback that you would like to be associated with just a little bit who would that be I mean if I had juices speed up his junior season Allen ran for over 1,500 yards but was unable to break the long run there were a lot of times that Marcus Allen slipped in the hole or slipped to making a cut and the press got on him and you know that's not easy I think the one that really got him was the only times that does SE finally have an average tailback Marcus in my view is the most intelligent football player I've ever dealt with he learned what it was he was doing I wasn't really trying to make plays I think my junior year sometimes to please the coaching staff you do exactly what they say they just want you to hit it up in there and you miss opportunities and then my senior year clicked I got it now I wasn't just concerned with just running up in their heart I was gonna make plays I was gonna be a little bit rebellious and just do what I thought was necessary in the field he became the best cutback runner I've ever seen I'd tell her assistant coach give the ball to Marcus don't don't don't throw that ball give the ball to Marcus and we did his senior season Allen shattered the college football record book [Music] he became the first running back in history to run for over 2,000 yards [Music] the winner of the 1981 Heisman Trophy Award Marcus Allen of the University of Southern California but happiest day of my life right now this I guess in a war that is very very prestigious and and I guess I found my place in history that I remember calling home talking to my mom mom we did it I said let me talk to dad and she said well I can't talk her and I said why he said he's crying it was his dad who first convinced him to be a team player it led to Alain accepting a new position in high school then in college both times he was ultimately rewarded with the highest individual honor he could win the Oakland Raiders Oakland's first round selection running back Marcus Allen USA imagine this the Raiders were moving down to Los Angeles I didn't have to go anywhere I mean how lucky can a guy get yes thank you it's great to be ready it's great to be ready I mean it was it was perfect who walks into the locker room and you have art show Gene Upshaw cliff branch Jim Plunkett 10 Hendrix I didn't say one word going into camp and I was smart enough to know you already got a target on your back because you're the Heisman Trophy winner get a number one draft pick don't open your mouth just go in there and work your tail off and that way you you can get the players to accept you Marcus Allen's first game as a pro in San Francisco against Ronny Lawton and the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers I'm going to compete against my brother and like all of us know if it's your brother you want to kill him and there's one moment in the game where he's running to sweep and I'm coming a hundred miles an hour and I know he doesn't see me and I'm getting ready to knock the crap out of them on a sighs fine he does it 360 gonna miss them after the game I said bed how did you know because man I was watching you the whole time the Raider veterans were watching Marcus and they had seen enough Ted Hendrick was Tanima Cylon and I remember Ted just say just get a ball to Marcus that gave me so much confidence that he had confidence in me two things have come to mind when I think of Marcus one incredibly versatile there wasn't one aspect of playing the position that Marcus didn't excel at you could name 20 running backs who were bigger stronger faster you couldn't name two three running backs who were as versatile he could run the football obviously was great vision he gave you a piece he never gave you a full kind of hit [Music] he could throw the football [Music] he was a tremendous blocker [Music] his nose for the goal line third and one fourth and one need the score Marcus found a way here's the other thing that immediately pops into mind when I think of markets tough tough all day tough if you're gonna get into it kill him because he's just gonna keep coming back in 1982 he won Rookie of the Year in 1983 he lifted the Raiders to a championship in the playoffs all the elements of his greatness were on display and one of the most dominant performances by a running back in postseason history but it began with a little look against the Steelers legendary linebacker Jack Lampard as I made a cut third flew and his ID turned away I'm running for a touchdown Allen finished with 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders ran away from the Steelers [Music] the wind set up a rematch with the Seahawks a team that had beaten the Raiders twice that season Seattle new us so well yeah I mean it's no secret I mean they even knew our plays I looked across the the line of scrimmage and Kenny easily I shook my head I said I'm coming right there dick he shook his head back and said okay all I remember was coming out the black guy and seeing stars but I wasn't going out of the game Allen went from seeing stars to being the brightest of them all [Music] he finished with 154 yards rushing [Music] sixty-two receiving and scored the Raiders final touchdown but his greatest performance was still to come [Applause] was 12 seconds ago in the third quarter power play off the left side 17 Bob Trio Ken coffee came up but a reverse field and in doing so he almost got the ball out after I made that turn everything slowed down [Music] remember in a local widow just grasping and then I can almost see the anxiety on their faces and the tension as I was running by and then about 20 yards from the goal line everything came back to normal speed [Applause] touchback again [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this is a new Super Bowl record [Applause] [Music] I have already had a call from Moscow they think that Marcus Allen is a new secret weapon and they insist that we dismantle it Allen was on top of the world in the king of Los Angeles but it wouldn't last [Applause] Marcus kind of embodied away I love LA he's huge there was nobody bigger there was no brighter star in Los Angeles than Marcus mr. green I'm done against the training camp look Rick this goes beyond football I know you value and we're gonna get that but I don't need him what's money let me tell you how much money you really need okay Marcus was kind of cool you know without trying which really cool guys are pretty good at Marcus was real good at it a great-looking guy a tremendous football player very personable extremely articulate I mean he was the kind of guy that you'd gravitate toward yet when the Raiders drafted Marcus Allen critics wondered what the attraction was one thing about Marcus Allen he's a four five forty minutes that's not extremely fast he does fumble like crazy but and I saw that during the course of last year he fumbles the bullet oh wow I'll tell you right now don't be surprised to see them move this guy to the outside and play him as a wide receiver Allen became a Hall of Fame running back but perhaps the Raiders would have preferred a Hall of Fame receiver philosophically having a running back that picks up 1,500 yards wasn't necessarily what that organization wanted the Al Davis philosophy was you threw the football you ran the ball so that you could throw the ball I wanted more touches and I went out and I said and we need to run the ball Moyes is gone once you take it right a few laps at practice or something like that but you're not gonna get it any game obviously that didn't go over too well in 1985 Allen got his wish he carried the ball 380 times gained over 1700 yards and was named league MVP but in the playoffs the Raiders were upset and so was their owner I can recall talking with Al about about Marcus and and he felt at some point that Marcus was getting bigger than the Raiders and he had a hard time with that because it was always about the Raiders I think that caused whatever the split was that caused that I do not know what event happened however that that that made al feel that way well you know I had heard people say that I started getting referred to as Marcus and the Raiders but it was never by me whatever I did I always try to downplay what the things that I accomplished all I wanted to do is be great and when you do great things you get attention I didn't have anything to do with the amount of attention I got I always wanted to be just you know one of the guys now I've said I'm you know I'm 60% of the offense and I wanted to get paid a court handle a heavy but yeah in 1986 Allen played much of the season with an injured ankle I shouldn't have been playing I was hard at it like great players do I felt like I could tell better on one leg than most guys could on two in an important late season game the Raiders in position for the game-winning field goal instead give the ball to Allen [Applause] believable [Applause] it was the first time we hadn't made the playoffs in a long time it was basically all my fault so there was a lot of anger that was pretty upset I think he said he should have trade him in the Raiders did not trade Alan but in October of 1987 they had a new running back bo Jackson you're talking about two great players two distinctly different players one I think probably fascinated al more than the other because of just the sheer speed the power [Applause] this Marcus's role was lesson beau was telling us and Marcus well there's a new sheriff in town you know just kind of making fun of the whole situation I didn't want to split time I wanted to play full time so I basically said let me play fullback I thought we'd be you know unstoppable as a duel [Music] al took him from a hall-of-fame running back turn him into a fullback for beau Marcus did it and but we'd go why are we not using this car we knew something was up and it was earlier than how it showed up later with him being moved to fullback for beau and all that kind of stuff it wasn't quite right there was something there Allen had just won 100-yard rushing game in four regular seasons playing with Jackson by 1990 he grew tired with the arrangement do you like the idea though playing fullback again and blocking and doing all that stuff that goes I'm gonna pull back well no one yet I'm saying if it happens well it's never happening the two-man backfield persisted but in their first playoff game together one dropped out [Applause] he's going to carry the boulder [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Allen had his best day in five years the Raiders won their first playoff game since Super Bowl eighteen all of you [Music] I'm down here with a guy that was back to his old Heisman form today this particularly gratifying after the tough time he had early in the year all the speculations that you might get traded here we are and what amount stood nearly a championship game and your team needed you and you were able to go out and get hundred and forty yards well no question about it but to be honest with the I didn't think I was gonna get trader Jackson never played football again but for the next two years instead of playing Allen the Raiders tried to find his replacement at the end of each league season since 1967 Raider players vote for their teammate who best exemplifies the pride poise and spirit up the Raiders the 1988 Raider commitment to excellence award is awarded to the only player in Ritter history to applaud this honor from his teammates four times as his Raider career progressed Marcus Allen continued to win praise from his teammates yet lose playing time from his coaches in 1989 he returned from injury to face the Cardinals and the meet in Rome you know Tuesday night and Wednesday night Thursday night and Friday night and Saturday night we talked about it some people still down on him he's just coming back from an injury he's not fresh he's not ready we don't need to plan but then we got in the game just late in the game and we were down by five in the balls on a four yard line I forgot what happened in their meeting room I just knew we had to get this thing in zoning my mindset was okay we pumping him in Tom Walsh was the offensive coordinator he said what is he doing the game you know how doesn't want in 20 minute get me now it doesn't like him I had to hit sit on I was on the sidelines and not not to get yelled at and screamed and fussed at I took my headset off I got a little slap on the face saying hey we wasn't supposed to do that I thought we wouldn't go put him in but good thing we did we won the game I do remember going back to the locker room and Al gave me a dirty look which was the strangest thing in the world because you know you figure you want to win the game and regardless of who does it but it was just another awkward situation the animosity was pretty thick around there those guys battle and again those guys I'm speaking Marquez in the front office those guys battles was bigger than us you know I mean that was that was bigger than all of us so all we could do was coach the guys we had here and just keep on going in 1991 the Raiders signed running back Roger Craig and in 1992 Eric Dickerson I don't think there's been any great running back on the league that has ever had to share the position with that many great running backs there was a time that I came in a camp fourth-string I'm in the Hall of Fame by the way but I came to camp fourth-string I just want you to know that how do you know falling from 1 to 4 well I came from the top no you know what there who's the top well I'm gonna tell who's the top but that gave him the top when that was going on Marcus Allen arranged to come in to the weight room like 4 o'clock in the morning do his 3-hour work so that he would be out of there by 7:00 before anybody else came in there the night before games we would talk and he would tell me I am you know I probably won't get any get any playing time it wasn't one of those kind of moments where you see a guy who decides that I'm packing it in if anything he did more Alan could only watch as the Raiders fell behind the Giants tend to nothing he doesn't play the whole game it doesn't get on the field at halftime he makes a speech we get fired up we end up turning the game around it was confusing I didn't understand what was happening covering the NFL at that time Monday Night Football we had the Raiders a number of times and living in Los Angeles and knowing marcus and marcus was not talking about it yeah i internalized it I mean obviously it ate at me it was tough going to work at times I mean who wanted to look at work why everybody else play I remember saying something along the lines of hey look you know at some point everybody's really interested in what's happening here and you guys are on Monday night you know three times a year so if you ever want to say what you have to say we have the platform for that the best platform how would you right now characterize the relationship with Al Davis well I guess it's a acrimonious at best I don't know what do you think about a guy that has attempted to you know a ruin your career al Davis would scoff at the notion that he would sacrifice the good of the whole team because of a personal vendetta do you feel there has been a personal vendetta with youth no question about it absolutely he told me he was gonna get me we've had conversations I I don't know for what a reason but he told me that he was gonna get me but it's just been a an outright joke to sit on the sidelines and and not get the opportunity to play I mean I shouldn't say nugget that was in they don't want me to play or Chell is the coach of this team have you addressed the issue of the lack of playing time with him directly I've talked to Howard our city has nothing to do with it how did you get into the doghouse I don't know I don't have the slightest idea I don't looking back I don't think I I don't think I did anything maybe it's just the way I am you know and I and I can't change that and I don't apologize for that maybe that offended him I don't know maybe it rubbed him the wrong way I just can't fathom you know what happened told Al Davis what Marcus had said he said the statements are and he said it with a lab he said they're totally frauds he's reported late for the last five years he's been hurt maybe he doesn't like the competition talking about bringing in people like the Bickersons Cragen before that clothes accent it was explosive it was memorable but it was something that people had to hear about because they didn't know they didn't know what in the world was going on and ironically even after that interview had aired people were still trying to figure out now what happened between those guys I still don't know I never quite understood what made things go bad to me the whole thing was a waste of great talent and energy if you don't like me let me go and I never understood that let me go play football someplace else now if you love power I can understand why you keep me there I think of what could have been the perfect marriage in Los Angeles with the Raiders and just didn't turn out to be and it was it was a shame as a teammate I certainly made my feelings pretty clear publicly what I thought about Marcus great player great teammate was puzzled by all of that maybe I give you one person you know Al Davis you know that didn't really like Marcus I can't tell you two people that didn't love Marcus Allen in the season finale the six and nine Raiders trailed the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins by six with less than two minutes left [Music] benched most of the game Allen gained 25 yards on the final drive and the Raiders won in the closing seconds [Music] we wasn't going nowhere but I think that day for Marcus Allen all his teammates would have carried him off the field because our guys love the minute say if this is the last game this is the way we're gonna send him off for the sixth time Allen's teammates voted him the winner of the commitment to excellence award Allen's career as a Raider was over he would change uniforms the following season but he'd show the league and the Raiders he was still the same Marcus after 11 seasons with the Raiders Marcus Allen went in search of a new team I'm sure there were skeptics that was basically washed up that I couldn't play anymore and and frankly I mean for 30 33 years old I mean that's usually the downside for most running backs I'm sort of unique in a sense that I was chronologically one age and my body was another that was one of the things that he was selling himself to us on that I may be 33 chronologically but I'm a lot younger because al didn't use me for whatever reason for quite a bit of time so how you doing Allen signed with of all teams the Kansas City Chiefs the Raiders biggest rival I just wanted to go to a place that would allow me to play and then wanted me there and had a chance to win I mean I didn't say oh yeah okay this is a perfect opportunity to get back at the Raiders not at all [Applause] initially we felt that he could definitely help us in short yardage and goal line situations but the obvious was that he was still in phenomenal shape and could take the pounding he still had plenty of tread left on the tire if you will [Applause] by midway through the season Allen had become the chief starting running back together with newly signed veteran Jill Montana Kansas City had its best season in over 20 years game after game both of those two did some unbelievable things and we fed off that all year to make us believe that we could win in the playoffs the Chiefs faced the Houston Oilers winners of 11 consecutive games with less than two minutes left Kansas City led by one we know that if we score here you know well win the game we're gonna beat this team that everybody thought was gonna be in the Superbowl everybody thought cannot be beat oh I'm gonna breathing heavy and we're tired and you know it's been a real physical game and that's the hate Marcus I'm just a fat kid from Chicago you know let's get the ball in the end zone here and get the hell out of here and he said don't worry about it I got it Marcus Marcus a little first on 126 852 touchdown we've got a Kansas City winner in the heart of Texas today as a friend he knew that he had it there was nothing greater in the world in the see the guy have those moments again Allen one comeback player of the year and in true Hollywood fashion achieved a goal even more dramatic redemption I always always always referred to it as Raider Week so all we ever had to talk about Raider week was different than any other week everybody in the locker room everybody in the stadium I'm sure knew this was not just another game for Marcus Allen but if it was the Raiders it wasn't just another game from Marty Schottenheimer either and I hate to personalize and I have great respect for Al but always felt that he thought that the Raiders were everything Marcus and I were like brethren when it came to looking at terator saying if we're gonna win one game this is the team we want to beat I never thought about getting back never never once you gotta understand I love the guys that I played with and I was always conflicted in that regard if you asked him he would say they didn't mean any more than any other game but that team said he couldn't do it anymore and he always wanted to prove him wrong I remember the death stare between Marcus and mr. Davis when they walked by each other in Kansas City he faced the Raiders and made history [Applause] wedeck justice that's all I'm question fate I just said I appreciate it - my favorite artists in Los Angeles he helped close out an era the last Raider home game in Los Angeles would also decide the final playoff spot in the AFC Marty Schottenheimer and the chief said if we're going to win in Los Angeles we must run the ball and Marcus Allen has answered the call Allen ran for 132 yards his best performance in four years and achieved another career milestone Marcus Allen at the 50 45 will give him the 10,000 yard the Chiefs advanced and the Raiders move back to Oakland [Music] in Oakland Allen became the first player in NFL history to gain 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving [Music] in his five years with the Chiefs Allen played the Raiders ten times and won all but one [Music] you know the amazing thing was is that the Raider players always would tell us hey you know cat Marcus Allen they missed them 90% of guys wish DeMarcus out was still on their team 90% of the guys thought that Marcus Allen was the difference in those games he was the most instinctive natural player that I've ever been around I mean you feel like you were stealing money getting paid to coach this guy he just did it after 16 seasons Allen retired from the game with the most touchdowns by a running back in NFL history throughout his life Marcus Allen was never too far from his father Harold my dad always wanted to be the father that he didn't have my father was always present in every aspect of my life I still can't figure this out for 11 years he played for the readers I was the only father from that locker room after every game when it came time for the Hall of Fame and Allen needed a presenter there was one obvious choice he said I want the world to know that I got a daddy you gonna present me I said thank you of the many in attendance for Allen's induction one was Raiders owner Al Davis shake hands early on and he didn't want to I wasn't gonna let anything become larger than my parents or my family enjoying that moment of my induction this indeed is on inflation to present a young man that God blessed me to be his father ladies in my store and Marcus Allen [Applause] so when I come back and had to pass by Al Davis and I got almost true me jumped up and he said congratulations kid put his hand out so I didn't know that I'm not gonna be like he did I shook his hand I said Thank You coach he smiled sit back down so the Los Angeles Raiders I'd like to thank mr. Al Davis for drafting me mr. ron wolf it's interesting people who come over to me with some sort of Raider item and they say well I know you hate the Raiders and I said don't hate the graters I don't hate the helmet I don't help I don't hate the colors I don't hit anybody I didn't even hate out you know we had a disagreement and life is too short to dwell on it and you move on [Music] twenty years after his split from the Raiders Allen was invited back by our son mark in the Raiders family to light the flame in Al Davis's memory for marcus allen it is one last unexpected honor in a career full of them and completes a football life story that reads like no other first college running back to gain 2,000 yards Heisman Trophy winner Rookie of the Year Super Bowl MVP League MVP and Comeback Player of the Year his final NFL numbers twelve thousand two hundred and forty three rushing yards 5411 receiving and one hundred and forty four touchdowns all this while spending four seasons as a fullback and two seasons where he hardly played at all I spent twenty five seasons with the Raiders of all the people that ever came through during the time I was there somebody has to be number one Marcus Allen was number one he's the best player during my time with the Raiders that I have ever seen [Music] in the five years we had there was no evidence of any deterioration of his level of performance whatever he did he made it look easy if God put one person on this earth to be a professional football player I would have been Marcus Allen we keep projecting me the greatest of all time I may have been the most knowledgeable I had the luxury of playing quarterback I played defense and then playing fullback and playing tailback I knew everything about what each player was doing the game is really a simple game if you know what you're doing [Music] you

Channel: Zach Crutcher

Views: 1,291,293

Keywords: Marcus Allen, A Football Life, NFL, NFL Films, NFL Network, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, Jim Plunkett, USC Trojans, Super Bowl, Super Bowl MVP, Bo Jackson, Hall of Famer, Hall of Fame, Running Back, NFL Running Back, Silver and Black

Id: wRemq7XXw-I

Length: 43min 51sec (2631 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 21 2017