Despite Size, He’s No Shoo-In for Stardom

A commanding presence at 6 feet 6 1/2 and 301 pounds, Auri Allen is often asked for autographs by Tennessee Titan fans, reports the Nashville Tennessean.

Allen, though, would rather play in the NBA than the NFL.

First things first, however.

For Allen, that means the MBA, as in Montgomery Bell Academy. This month, he’ll enter the seventh grade at the Nashville school.

Only 12, he is bigger than Shaquille O’Neal was at that age. He wears size-18 shoes and he can dunk a tennis ball on a 10-foot basketball rim.

But talk of college scholarships and the NBA, his mother says, is premature.

“To be honest, I haven’t got to that point yet,” says Pam Allen, who is 6-1 and played basketball at Belmont University. “I’m his mom, and he’s my baby. That’s how I look at it. It’s tough enough to get this kid shoes, much less spending time worrying about NBA stuff, or whatever they call it.”

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Trivia time: Who was the first former USC player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

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In full support: Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News, on Denver Bronco running back Terrell Davis, who is contemplating retirement: “It might be time for Davis and the Broncos to stop draining his knees and prop them up on a cushion somewhere.”

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Quality control: Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who does not share the modern-day belief that pitching about six innings and “walking off alive” constitutes a quality start, says Sandy Koufax felt the same way.

“To me,” Fisher recalls the Hall of Fame left-hander once saying, “a quality start is when the starting pitcher is still on the mound when the game is over and his teammates rush out of the dugout to congratulate him on the victory.”

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Puny production: USC rushed for 1,052 yards last season, worst in the Pacific 10 Conference. In 1981, when he won the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Allen ran for 1,136 yards in the Trojans’ first five games.

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Fade route: UCLA’s record in November and December since the 1999 season is 2-6.

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Rule of thumb: Jack Nicklaus, on when kids are ready to play golf on a regulation course: “When they can play three holes without chasing a frog.”

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And a skirt, we assume: Georgia Tech’s 1952 football media guide, reports Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover, “posing in a Tech sweater.”

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I scream, you scream: Said Andy Reid, the no-longer-svelte coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, after an ice cream company named a sundae in his honor: “This is when you know you have reached the ultimate in the Chubby Man Club.”

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Ten years ago: On this day in 1992, Tony Zendejas kicked a 29-yard field goal in overtime to give the Los Angeles Rams a 19-16 exhibition victory over the Los Angeles Raiders in front of 56,511 at Anaheim Stadium.

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Trivia answer: Frank Gifford, who was inducted in 1977.

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And finally: Randy Moss of the Minnesota Vikings “was angry that he was ignored for the Pro Bowl because ‘there was a lot of hating going on,’ ” writes Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune, “and I’m thinking, yeah, you were hating going all out on every play.”