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A tribute to Cowboys legend Larry Allen: Honoring the greatest of walls

June 06, 2024
Sporting News Archive
Photo by Bob Leverone/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images

A tribute to Larry Allen... one of the greatest Dallas Cowboys of all time.

Monday was a sad day as we learned that the NFL lost one of its legends with the passing of the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen. Over his NFL career, he spent 12 seasons with the Cowboys and his last two with the San Francisco 49ers. After a rookie season where he bounced around in different positions, Allen settled in and immediately became a force along the offensive line. From 1995 to 2001, Allen earned All-Pro honors in seven straight seasons. This included a three-year stretch where he was named first-team All-Pro at right guard, then at left tackle, and then again at left guard. The Cowboys learned right away that this guy was pretty special.

A diamond in the rough

It is interesting to look back at when Allen entered the league. It was 30 years ago when he was selected by the Cowboys in the second round as a small school lineman from Sonoma State that wasn’t atop many team's draft boards. Credit the Cowboys' scouting department for finding him, especially considering how their ability to find stars would take a drastic turn in the late ‘90s.

During the Jimmy Johnson era, we had grown accustomed to the team drafting great players. In the five years with Jimmy at the helm, the Cowboys drafted 13 players who went on to make the Pro Bowl. This list includes:

1989: Troy Aikman, Steve Wisniewski, Daryl Johnston, Mark Stepnoski, and Tony Tolbert

1990: Emmitt Smith

1991: Russell Maryland, Erik Williams, and Leon Lett

1992: Jimmy Smith and Darren Woodson

1993: Ron Stone and Brock Marion

In contrast, Larry Allen was the only Pro Bowl player the Cowboys selected over the first three years without Johnson. Make no mistake about it, Allen was a diamond in the rough in an otherwise dry period of drafting that would plague the Cowboys until Bill Parcells showed up.

Rookie season

The 1994 season was a strange one, mostly because of Johnson’s departure. It was the 75th anniversary of the NFL, and the Cowboys graced us with those beautiful double-star jerseys to commemorate their back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

But in the trenches, there was other stuff going on. Allen was asked to start right away as a rookie after left tackle Mark Tuniei had back issues, and then later in the year took over at right tackle after All-Pro Erik Williams had gotten into a car accident midway through the season. There were some growing pains early, but Allen was unfazed and just kept plugging away.

Give us the rundown

“This guy has a rocket booster strapped to his back” - Dan Dierdorf, Hall of Fame offensive lineman and Monday Night Football broadcaster

Of course, the most memorable play of Allen’s career happened on Monday night when he ran down a New Orleans Saints linebacker. After Darion Connor intercepted a deflected Troy Aikman pass, Allen sprinted 50 yards down the field to save a would-be touchdown. It was one of the most athletic things an offensive lineman has ever done. I’m sure you remember the play all too well.

Allen finished off his rookie season strong, however, he suffered an ankle injury in the Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers. He was one of the stars in that game helping the Cowboys' offense churn out 450 yards en route to a 35-9 blowout victory over the Pack.

Unfortunately, a bad ankle made him a liability on the edge, and with a fierce San Francisco 49ers pass rush, the Cowboys couldn’t secure the first-ever three-peat in NFL history.

Maybe it’s the Cowboys’ fan talking, but if Erik Williams doesn’t crash his car or Allen doesn’t hurt his ankle, Steve Young never wins a Super Bowl.

A changing of the guard

The following season, the Cowboys moved Allen to guard. Immediately, he flourished. On Emmitt Smith’s first carry of the 1995 season, he ran through a giant hole sealed off by Allen and scampered 60 yards for a touchdown. Smith went on to have career-highs in yards and touchdowns that season.

The greatest of walls

The Cowboys have had some great offensive linemen throughout their history. In fact, they have one now in Zack Martin, who may be entering the last season of his NFL career. But never before and never since have they had someone as strong and athletic as Allen. He’s the mic-drop answer to every one of those “If you could have any former Cowboys player and add him to the current roster, who would you choose?” questions. Every year, the correct answer is always Larry Allen. The world lost a true legend of the game, but all those years of dominating in the trenches will never be forgotten.

“He’s the most powerful man to ever play the game” - John Randle, Hall of Fame pass rusher


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