Larry Allen’s journey from Sonoma State to Cowboys legend
DALLAS (BVM) – If a normal person walked into an NFL locker room they would feel like they were surrounded by mammoths of human beings. Larry Allen did that to NFL players.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, Allen was not just a guy who made it to the league because of his size, but because of his raw talent as well.
The perennial Pro Bowler was a linchpin on the Cowboys’ offensive line for years and became known as one of the most dominant linemen the game has ever seen. But Allen was not always seen as a generational talent.
Allen before the NFL
Allen grew up in Compton, California, and spent each of his four years of high school somewhere new. He spent his last year at Vintage High School but Allen never graduated. Because of this, he was not eligible to play Division I football.
He played for two seasons at Butte College and was named to the All-State team both years. He then took a year off and enrolled at Sonoma State University and played there for two seasons. He excelled there also, becoming a two-time All-American.
Allen’s NFL career
Despite the lack of competition, Allen’s talent was evident to NFL scouts. The Dallas Cowboys took a chance on him in the second round of the 1994 draft and he was everything they could have asked for.
Allen played for Dallas through the 2005 season making 10 Pro Bowls and being a vital part of the Super Bowl XXX championship team. He finished up his career with two seasons in San Francisco where he made another Pro Bowl appearance in 2006.
He was selected as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s and the 2000s. Allen was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2011 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Mythical athleticism
When Allen attended the 1994 NFL Combine, he ran a 5.21 40-yard dash, and for his size, is pretty impressive. 1994 was also the first year that the combine included the bench press. Allen did not participate in it, but thankfully there has been plenty of times that he has shown off his otherworldly strength.
There are videos of the offensive lineman benching 700 pounds and benching 225 pounds 43 times.
Where is he now?
According to Kevin Williams of More than Sport, Allen now lives in Danville, California, where he is enjoying the retired life. His son, Larry Allen Jr., played football at Harvard and was brought on by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, but he was cut in 2019. He spent 2021 with the Los Angeles Chargers and is now a free agent.
