According to Sean Leahy of Yahoo! Sports on Monday, Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen of Los Angeles, California passed away at the age of 52. At the time of his death, Allen was on vacation in Mexico.
Allen played 14 seasons as an offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1994 to 2007. He was with the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 to 2005, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 and 2007.
Allen’s initial position on the offensive line was right tackle. He only spent his rookie season there of 1994 before moving over to right guard for three seasons from 1995 to 1997. Allen then played left tackle in 1998 before playing his last eight NFL seasons at left guard.
Four times in Allen’s career he had a fumble recovery. They came in a 24-17 Cowboys loss to the Washington Redskins on December 3, 1995, in a 31-0 Cowboys loss to the Tennessee Titans on Christmas Day, 2000, and in a 24-20 Cowboys win over the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve, 2005.
Eleven times Allen reached the Pro Bowl. He was honoured in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Allen won one Super Bowl championship. He was part of the Cowboys team that won in 1996, a 27-17 Cowboys win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
During the majority of Allen’s career, his primary job was to protect Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. Currently, Aikman is the lead analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
Allen played NCAA Division II Football at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, California. He was the second round pick, 46th overall, in the 1994 NFL Draft. Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
