A legendary offensive lineman has passed.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen died suddenly Sunday at the age of 52 while on vacation in Mexico with his family, the Dallas Cowboys announced on Monday.
Allen's career resume is loaded with accolades. Eleven Pro Bowls. Six All-Pro selections. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's all-decade teams for the 1990s and the 2000s. And finally, a first-ballot selection for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2013).
"Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL," the Cowboys said in a statement on Monday. "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."
Allen was one of the most freakish athletes to play offensive line in the history of football. At 6-foot-3 and 335 pounds, most logical thinkers would expect him to be a lumbering load of a blocker whose greatest assets were his size and strength, and not much else.
That couldn't be further from the truth for Allen, who matched his Herculean strength with incredible swiftness. Simply, Allen could get out and run, executing short and long pulls with precision and frightening power to clear lanes for Cowboys runners, including fellow Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Allen's rare blend of physical skills turned the typically mundane nature of offensive line play into a thrilling viewing experience, so much that folks still queue Allen's highlight tape just to bask in the beauty of it.
Allen did his job at a premier level at both guard and tackle, proving himself as an ironman regardless of on-field location. For 14 years, Allen stonewalled the league's best defensive linemen in pass protection, and struck fear in the hearts of those unfortunate enough to find themselves on his tracks.
Allen racked up six straight first-team All-Pro selections from 1996-2001, and earned one of those honors after moving from the interior to the outside, serving as Troy Aikman's blindside protector at left tackle in 1998.
Allen entered another elite group as one of only three Cowboys to crack double digits in Pro Bowl selections. He finished his career in San Francisco, starting in 27 of a possible 32 games for the 49ers, and picking up one more Pro Bowl nod before calling it a career.
"The National Football League is filled with gifted athletes, but only a rare few have combined the size, brute strength, speed and agility of Larry Allen," Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. "What he could do as an offensive lineman often defied logic and comprehension. In a six-season span, he was named All-Pro every year, and one of those seasons came when the Cowboys needed him to step in at tackle. He could literally beat the will out of his opponents, with many quitting midgame or not dressing at all rather than face him, but that was only on the field. Off it, he was a quiet, gentle giant. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Janelle; daughters, Jayla and Loriana; and son, Larry III."
As menacing and ruthlessly effective as Allen was on the field, he was just as beloved by those who knew him best off it. Aikman took to social media Monday to express his sorrow upon learning of the loss of his former teammate.
"Just received the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved teammate Larry Allen," Aikman wrote. "He was a HOF offensive lineman that dominated opponents regardless of the position played. Off the field, he was a gentle giant that loved his family. Rest in Peace LA."
