L.A. Has Always Been Allentown

For two decades, Marcus Allen took the ball time and again with a spring in his step and a resolute look in his eyes and soared over a wall of tacklers to plunge into the end zone.

But not Thursday.

On Thursday, his eyes were clouded over with tears, his steps tentative. Because Thursday was the day the running stopped. Thursday was the day Allen, at the age of 38, reluctantly plunged into retirement.

The news conference was held in Kansas City, Mo., where he announced he’ll be joining CBS as a football analyst next season.

But that news conference could have been held in Los Angeles. It should have been held at the Memorial Coliseum.

Because that’s where Allen first caught the nation’s attention. And that’s where he kept that attention by sliding over, around and through tacklers, first as a USC Trojan and then as a Los Angeles Raider.

With Allen’s retirement, NFL fans no longer will be able to watch the league’s greatest rushing-touchdown maker.

Los Angeles fans can easily identify. It has been five years since they have been able to watch their favorite son up close.

There have been many great backs in Los Angeles football history, from Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson and Charles White with the Trojans, to Elroy Hirsch and Jon Arnett (also a Trojan) and Eric Dickerson with the Rams, to Bo Jackson with the Raiders.

But no one else has achieved quite as much for L.A. at both the collegiate and professional level. No one has put such deep cleat marks in the Coliseum turf for so long a period.

In 1981, Allen culminated his USC career by becoming the first college player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, a season in which he set 14 NCAA records and tied two others.

His reward was the Heisman Trophy.

Allen was selected 10th in the NFL draft the following spring by the Oakland Raiders. But he never had to leave town. Because the Raiders came to him, moving onto Allen’s turf by coming to the Coliseum.

So he simply changed uniforms and never slowed down. He was NFL Rookie of the Year, he rushed for over 1,000 yards three consecutive seasons, with a high of 1,759 in 1985. He was the league’s Most Valuable Player and he was Super Bowl MVP, leading the Raiders to triumph in Super Bowl XVIII, the only Super Bowl ever won by a team with a Los Angeles address.

With an elusive, aggressive running style, with enough versatility to play running back, receiver or quarterback, with enough heart to play through all sorts of agonizing injuries, Allen seemed unstoppable at times.

But he finally ran into a obstacle he couldn’t get around.

He finally ran up against Raider owner Al Davis.

To this day, Allen insists he doesn’t know the nature of the bitter, ugly feud that developed between the star running back and the man who signed his paychecks. Most observers believe it either centered around a salary dispute or a plea by Allen for more carries.

But whatever the cause, it cost Allen precious playing time.

To be sure, there were extenuating circumstances behind his limited playing time in his final seasons in Los Angeles. Part of the time, Allen was hurt. And part of the time, he found himself stuck behind Jackson, whose explosive style certainly made him deserving of the ball.

By 1992, even though Jackson was gone, Allen’s situation had worsened. It had become a joke, a bitter joke. He was reduced to being a third-down back, even though he was only 32 and still retained the skills that had long terrorized defenses. Opposing teams were thrilled to see Allen racking up most of his yardage by pacing the sidelines.

Finally, in a late-season game in Miami, Allen went on “Monday Night Football” and blasted Davis, telling all the world what insiders already felt--that Davis had it in for him.

That was effectively the end of Allen’s career in silver and black.

And, in a way, it was an end for the Raiders as well.

Coach Art Shell, long a close friend of Allen’s, was forced to take Davis’ side if he wanted to keep his job. He took the blame for Allen’s benching.

That cost Shell dearly. He never seemed to regain his players’ respect and was eventually fired.

As for Allen, after calling the Coliseum home for 15 seasons--college and pro--he moved in 1993 to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he quickly showed that the only thing he needed--to again be at least close to the player he had once been--was the ball. In one season, his carries went from 67 to 206, his yards gained from 301 to 764 and his touchdowns scored from two to 12.

In a way, Allen should have thanked Davis. The forced inactivity allowed Allen’s various aches and pains to heal and put new vitality in his legs.

He went on to play five seasons in Kansas City.

He finishes up his career with more games (222), more rushing touchdowns (123) and more passes caught (587) than any other back in NFL history. He winds up with 12,243 rushing yards, putting him sixth on the all-time list. And he is the first NFL back to rush for more than 10,000 yards and catch passes for more than 5,000 yards.

“I played with love and courage and tenacity,” Allen said Thursday. “That’s all I wanted to do.”

But even so, there were tears.

“I don’t mind crying because I feel I’m happy,” he said as he dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.

If the news that he had run his last yard came as a surprise, it’s because Allen had told Kansas City coach Marty Schottenheimer just last week that he would play one more season.

“I did tell Marty I was returning,” Allen said. “But the one constant I’ve had since I came into this league was I could visualize and see plays unfolding, and be a part of that.

“And frankly, as hard as I tried to create that, the vision wasn’t as strong as it needed to be.”

His last game as a Raider, back in 1992, came on a cold December night in Washington. Needing a touchdown to win in the final minutes, the Raiders drove down the field at RFK Stadium, with Allen picking up many of the key yards.

But at the end, with the Raiders on the Redskin three-yard line, it was the number of receiver Tim Brown who was called, not Allen’s. Brown caught the winning touchdown pass and the last piece of glory in a bitter season.

A lot of people were hoping you would score that last touchdown in your last season with the Raiders, Allen was told in the locker room.

“We all know that wasn’t going happen,” replied Allen, a bitter smile on his face.

It was the final slap at Allen after all those years of service.

Yet on Thursday, he paused for a tribute to his old team.

“This may seem odd,” he said, “but I’d like to thank the Raiders for a wonderful and unique experience.”

He carried the ball impressively for many years. But most of, even Thursday, he carried himself with class.

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Allen’s Place in History

CAREER RUSHING LEADERS

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No. Player Years Yards 1. Walter Payton 1975-87 16,726 2. Barry Sanders 1989- 13,778 3. Eric Dickerson 1983-93 13,259 4. Tony Dorsett 1977-88 12,739 5. Jim Brown 1957-65 12,312 6. Marcus Allen 1982-97 12,243 7. Franco Harris 1972-84 12,120 8. Thurman Thomas 1988- 11,405 9. John Riggins 1974-85 11,352 10. O.J. Simpson 1969-79 11,236

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TOUCHDOWNS

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No. Player Years Yards 1. Jerry Rice 1985- 166 2. Marcus Allen 1982-97 145 3. Jim Brown 1957-65 126 4. Walter Payton 1975-87 125 5. Emmitt Smith 1990- 119 6. John Riggins 1974-85 116 7. Don Hutson 1935-45 105 8. Barry Sanders 1989- 102 9. Steve Largent 1976-89 101 10. Franco Harris 1972-84 100

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RECEPTIONS BY RUNNING BACKS

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No. Player Years Yards 1. Marcus Allen 1982-97 587 2. Ronnie Harmon 1986- 583 3. Roger Craig 1983-93 566 4. John L. Williams 1986-95 546 5. Herschel Walker 1986- 512

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