He was not on the list.
FRISCO, Texas – Larry Allen, arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the Cowboys and perhaps the best offensive linemen in the NFL history, has passed away far too soon.
Allen died on Sunday at the age of just 52 years old. He was vacationing in Mexico with his family when he passed away.
Inducted as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2013, Allen was a member of the All-Decade team both in the 1990s and 2000s. From 1994 to 2007, Allen played 14 seasons in the NFL, including the first 12 with the Cowboys.
Allen is one of three Cowboys in team history with double-digit Pro Bowl selections. He had 10 Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro selections with the Cowboys. Allen finished his playing career with the 49ers and earned an 11th Pro Bowl in 2006.
The Cowboys released a statement on Monday morning on Allen's death:
The Dallas Cowboys are very saddened to share that Cowboys legend, Super Bowl Champion, Cowboys Ring of Honor member, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen passed away suddenly while on vacation in Mexico with his family on Sunday. Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. His versatility and dependability were also signature parts of his career. Through that, he continued to serve as inspiration for many other players defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner.
He was deeply loved and cared for by his wife, Janelle – whom he referred to as his heart and soul, his daughters Jayla and Loriana and son, Larry III.
The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry.
Memorial service arrangements and details will be announced in the near future.
Drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft out of Sonoma State in California, Allen quickly showed the world his awesome combination of size and strength. However, it was another trait – speed – that probably got him on the NFL map early on. During a Monday Night Football game in New Orleans during his rookie year in 1994, Allen chased down Saints linebacker Darion Conner after an interception, tackling him from behind to save a touchdown. The MNF announcers of Frank Gifford, Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf were blown away in amazement of Allen's speed and quickness for his size.
But for the most part, it was Allen's strength that stood out the most. Known for bench-pressing over 700 pounds during an offseason in the early 2000s, Allen dominated his opponents by his brute strength.
Also, he was rather versatile as well, showing that early in his career when he moved from guard to tackle. After three Pro Bowl selections from 1995-97 at guard, Allen moved to tackle for the 1998 season and also earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that year. He eventually moved back to guard, where is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the position.
Allen was one of seven guards named to the NFL's Top 100 players list that came out in 2019.
Allen grew up in Compton, California, and had a troubled childhood, including contracting meningitis and almost dying at six weeks old, as well as being stabbed 12 times in the head, shoulder, and neck by a young neighbor while trying to protect his brother at the age of 10. He attended a different school in each of his four years of high school. As a freshman at Centennial High School in Compton, Allen lettered in football. For his sophomore year, he attended Tokay High School in Lodi. As a junior, Allen transferred to Edison High School in Stockton. He finished high school at Vintage High School in Napa, California, but did not graduate.
In 1994, Allen started 10 regular-season games rotating between guard and tackle. During the season, he tied Burton Lawless in 1975 and Kevin Gogan in 1987, for the most starts on the offensive line as a rookie in club history at the time, Flozell Adams broke the record in 1998. Allen helped Dallas establish a then team record by allowing just 20 sacks totaling just 93 yards (fewest in the NFL) while earning all-rookie honors.
Allen was forced into a starting spot just four games into his rookie season when Mark Tuinei suffered back spasms on the road against the Washington Redskins. He received the game ball for helping keep the Redskins sackless for the game. He recorded his first NFL start at left tackle, replacing an injured Tuinei against the Arizona Cardinals. This marked the first time a rookie offensive lineman had started for Dallas since November 24, 1991, when Erik Williams started at right tackle against the Redskins. Allen returned to a back-up role for the next two weeks, but early in the morning on October 24, Williams was injured in an automobile accident and was out for the rest of the season, after which Allen was permanently moved into the starting lineup at Williams' right tackle position beginning with a game at Cincinnati on October 30. He received the game ball, along with Tuinei, for helping hold the New Orleans Saints without a sack in a Monday night win in New Orleans on December 19. In that Monday night contest, the 325-lb. Allen shocked the Saints by running down linebacker Darion Conner from behind on an interception return early in the game, with Allen was beginning from a standing start at the moment of the interception. The game's announcers talked more about Allen's amazing feat than the actual interception. In his first playoffs, Allen received the game ball against the Green Bay Packers on January 8, when the Dallas offense recorded 450 total yards and Troy Aikman completed 23 of 30 passes for 337 yards. Allen sprained his left ankle during the game, but he returned to play. In the NFC Championship Game at San Francisco, he struggled playing through three quarters on his injured ankle before leaving the game.
In 1995, Allen, after just one year of experience as a starting guard, earned his first of seven consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. He was one of a club record four Dallas offensive linemen named to the Pro Bowl, with Ray Donaldson, Nate Newton, and Mark Tuinei being the others. The team finished fifth in the league in total offense with Emmitt Smith gaining a franchise record 1,773 rushing yards, his fourth NFL rushing title in five years. Smith also scored a then NFL record 25 rushing touchdowns.
Allen made his first NFL start at right guard in the season opener at the Meadowlands against the New York Giants on September 4, helping the Dallas offense record 459 yards, including 230 rushing yards. In the regular-season finale, on the road against the Cardinals on Christmas Day, the offensive line enabled Dallas to record 474 yards of total offense for the most yardage by a Cowboys team since September 15, 1985.
On January 28, 1996, Allen earned his first start in a Super Bowl as well as his only Super Bowl ring when the Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX.
In 1996, Allen earned a second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, along with earning consensus All-Pro and All-NFC honors. The Dallas offensive line led the league by allowing just 19 sacks, one shy of the team record set the previous year. For the third consecutive season behind Allen, Emmitt Smith ran for over 1,200 yards while eclipsing 100 rushing yards four times, including a season-high 155 yards and three touchdowns against the Redskins on November 28.
In 1997, Allen, despite being moved between guard and tackle during the season, was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl at guard and earned first-team All-Pro honors. He also spent part of training camp working at left tackle and returned to his right guard position for the first 13 games of the season.
Allen started his third season at right guard at Pittsburgh and helped Dallas gain 380 total yards, including 295 passing yards, while not allowing a sack. He left the September 15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering a strained left hamstring in the second quarter and did not return. Allen returned to the starting lineup following the bye week against the Chicago Bears on September 28, but was forced to leave in the second quarter with insufficient strength in his left leg to block effectively. He was back in the starting lineup the following week at the Giants, where he was forced to move to left tackle after the loss of Tuinei during a game at Washington on October 13. Allen remained at left tackle in third-down passing situations against the Eagles and Redskins on October 26 and November 16. He became a full-time starter at left tackle against the upstart Carolina Panthers on December 8 and remained there the final three weeks of the season.
In 1998, Allen was slated to start at left tackle. In his first full season guarding Troy Aikman's blindside, he earned consensus All-Pro and All-NFC honors. Allen became just the third player in league history to be selected to the Pro Bowl at more than one offensive line position when peers voted him to NFC Pro Bowl team at tackle. He earned recognition as part of an offensive line that allowed just 19 sacks for 110 yards in 493 pass plays for a season, the fewest in the NFL. Allen's blocking helped Emmitt Smith to record seven 100-yard rushing games and 1,332 yards on the season.
He debuted at his new position in the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals and helped Dallas gain 444 total yards (188 rushing); both totals were the team's highest since 1996. He helped lead the way as two running backs topped the 100-yard mark for just the third time in franchise history at Washington on October 4; Smith finishing with 120 yards and one touchdown while Chris Warren recorded 104 yards and two touchdowns. In November, he faced four of the NFC's top defensive ends in Hugh Douglas, Chad Bratzke, Simeon Rice, and John Randle. Allen's no-sacks-allowed streak started at Philadelphia on November 2, when he limited Douglas to one tackle and no sacks. The following week against the Giants and Bratzke, his blocking helped Emmitt Smith rush for 163 yards on 29 carries, a 5.6 average. The Dallas offensive line allowed no sacks to the Giants defense that led NFL in sacks in 1998. In Arizona, Allen limited Rice to one tackle and was part of an offensive line that allowed no sacks to the Cardinals defense as well. He led the way for Smith's 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Seattle Seahawks had the AFC's top sacking defense of 1998 (11 sacks for 22 yards) and came away with just one sack (on an Aikman fumble), while the Cowboys ran for 173 yards. He also limited Randle to one tackle and no sacks in 81 offensive plays against the Minnesota Vikings on November 26. Allen helped set a franchise record for pass attempts in a game without a sack (57) and led the way as Smith rushed for three touchdowns to tie Marcus Allen's NFL record of 123 career rushing touchdowns. In the regular-season finale against the Redskins on December 27, Allen was part of an offensive line that saw Smith run for two more touchdowns to break the NFL's all-time rushing touchdown record.
In 1999, despite starting in his third offensive line position in as many years and missing five games due to injury, Allen was selected to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl while earning consensus All-Pro honors at guard.
Allen earned recognition as part of an offensive line that allowed the second-fewest sacks (24) in the league, behind Indianapolis who allowed just 14, and one or fewer sacks in nine of 16 games. He helped lead the way as the Cowboys gained 541 total yards while giving up only one sack in 50 pass plays in his first career start at left guard at Washington on September 12. He helped lead the way as Emmitt Smith became just the third player in the last 29 games to rush for over 100 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on September 20, when he rushed for 109 yards. Allen's blocking helped the Cowboys offensive line allow only one sack in 40 pass plays in Philadelphia on October 10. Allen gave up no sacks to the Redskins on 32 pass plays on October 24. His blocking helped Smith to rush for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as the Dallas offense recorded 205 rushing yards in Minnesota on November 8. Allen helped the Cowboys running backs record 149 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee against the Packers on November 14. He missed his first career game in Arizona on November 21, snapping strings of 97 consecutive games played and 90 consecutive starts. He missed the next four games with a sprained knee. He returned to the starting lineup in New Orleans on Christmas Eve and helped the Cowboys offensive line give up no sacks on 39 pass plays while helping Smith to rush for his eighth 100-yard game of the season. In the season finale against the Giants on New Year's Day, he blocked for Smith as the latter recorded his ninth 100-yard game of the season. Allen was part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack in 33 pass plays during the game. In the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game in Minnesota on January 9, he opened holes for Smith to rush for 99 yards, including a Dallas postseason record 65-yarder.
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1994–2005)
San Francisco 49ers (2006–2007)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXX)
6× First-team All-Pro (1996–2001)
Second-team All-Pro (1995)
11× Pro Bowl (1995–2001, 2003–2006)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (1994)
NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 203
Games started: 197
Fumble recoveries: 4
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