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The Midsummer Madness regional semifinal round is underway! Today’s Sweet Sixteen match-up features three seed Larry Allen facing off against two seed Tony Dorsett. Who will survive and advance to the Elite Eight?
We continue to wind our way through the regional semifinal round with what looks to be a potential nail-biter between two Hall of Famers boasting very different positions, skill sets and body types: third-seeded Larry Allen, a powerful man who showed surprising athleticism, and second-seeded Tony Dorsett, an athletic man who displayed surprising power. Each man's primary characteristic (Allen: raw strength; Dorsett: acceleration) made him great; that both possessed such a potent combination of power and grace vaulted them into the "best ever" conversation. Alas, only one of them moves on to face Bob Lilly for the regional crown; who will it be? Read the bios and comments and cast your vote, BTBers!
Wanna keep tabs on the state of the bracket or look ahead to future contests? All the Midsummer Madness info you could ever want can be found right here.
Player: Larry Allen
Position: offensive guard, tackle
Seed: 3
How he got here: defeated Billy Joe DuPree, 652-34; defeated Don Meredith 528-152
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Larry Christopher Allen 1994-2005 120* 10** 6 yes yes
Bio: Allen was drafted in the second round of the 1994 Draft and quickly stepped into the starting lineup, starting ten games in place of injured tackles Mark Tuinei and Erik Williams, and earning All-Rookie honors. He arrived on the national scene in a December game against the Saints on Monday Night when, at 325 pounds, he ran down linebacker Darion Conner from behind on an interception return. In 1995, Allen became the starter at right guard, where he remained for the better part of the next three seasons.
In late 1997, however, he had to move to left tackle to replace the injured Tuinei once again, and played the season's final three games there. The following season, he moved to left tackle full time, and again took home All-Pro and All-NFC honors, becoming the third player in league history to be selected to the Pro Bowl at more than one offensive line position. In 1999, the emergence of Flozell Adams allowed Allen to return to guard, this time on the right side. Despite starting in his third O-line position in as many years, Allen was again selected tot he All-Pro team. Further Pro Bowl nominations in 2000 and '01 gave him seven consecutive Pro Bowl nods.
A ten-time Pro Bowl selection in his twelve seasons as a Cowboy, Allen played in more Pro Bowls than any offensive player in franchise history. Allen is regarded as one of the physically strongest men to have ever played in the NFL, having recorded an assisted bench press of 705 lb and a squat of 905 lb. He earned a Super Bowl ring in 1995 (Super Bowl XXX) and was selected to the NFL's All-Decade team for both the 1990s and 2000s. Allen was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2011 and voted to the Hall of Fame in 2013.
*Allen's AV with the Cowboys was 120; his career AV (with two teams) was 131.
**Allen was selected to ten Pro Bowls as a Cowboy, and eleven total in his career.
Member comments:
Member Comment
StillHateTheGiants Larry Allen was not of this world.
MB3
Larry Allen is in the conversation as best offensive lineman in history
I wonder how many defensive linemen uttered the words, or thought "****, I gotta go up against Larry this week?"…..my guess is this happened every week of Larry’s career.
dsmith12
Just paying our respects, all the way from Austin
StillHateTheGiants Larry Allen was not of this world.
MB3
Larry Allen is in the conversation as best offensive lineman in history
I wonder how many defensive linemen uttered the words, or thought "****, I gotta go up against Larry this week?"…..my guess is this happened every week of Larry’s career.
dsmith12
Just paying our respects, all the way from Austin
Player: Tony Dorsett
Position: running back
Seed: 2
How he got here: defeated Thomas Henderson, 578-12; defeated Dez Bryant 607-141
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Anthony Drew Dorsett 1977-87 132* 4 1 yes yes
Bio: Dorsett was drafted with the second pick of the first round of the 1977 Draft. Although he wasn't immediately installed as the team's starting tailback (Tom Landry didn't know exactly what to do with him), he did make an impact, eventually starting four games and rushing for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns, which was enough to take him Rookie of the Year honors.More importantly, he added an element to a team that had everything except an elite runner, and the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII at the end of his initial campaign.
Dorsett enjoyed 1,000-yard seasons in eight of his first nine years in the league, with the lone exception being the strike-ridden 1982 season, when he led the NFC in rushing with 745 yards. In his sophomore campaign, Dorsett recorded 1,325 yards and nine touchdowns, helping the Cowboys to reach another Super Bowl, where they lost to the Steelers. His most productive season was in 1981, when he recorded 1,646 yards, breaking the Cowboys franchise record, and averaged 102.9 yards per game.
In his eleven years in Dallas, Dorsett rushed for 12,036 yards and 72 touchdowns, including an NFL-record 99-yarder in a Monday Night tilt against the Vikings. He caught another 382 passes for 3,432 yards and thirteen scores. As these numbers suggest, Dorsett was versatile; he was also surprisingly durable for his size, missing only six games in his Dallas tenure. Dorsett was a four-time Pro Bowler, and was a first-team All-Pro in 1981 and a second-team All-Pro in 1982 and '83. In 1999, he was ranked number 53 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
In the same year, 1994, Dorsett was added to the Ring of Honor and elected to both College and Pro Football Halls, making him one of only two players in history (the other is Marcus Allen) who has won the Heisman Trophy, a Super Bowl, and a National Championship, and has been enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. That's some pretty exclusive company...
*Dorsett's AV with the Cowboys was 132; his career AV (two teams) was 138.
Member comments:
Member Comment
angie'sdad
Hawk was...
a baller; he was small but tough and lightening fast; he was Little BIg Man. Loved his game.
krl97a
Clearly the first ballot HoFer Tony Dorsett.
Dorsett highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyqe-RW_mE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsujYQKMdos
camrin55
They need to make special Madden controllers
That replace the spin move buttons with a silhouette of Dorsett.
angie'sdad
Hawk was...
a baller; he was small but tough and lightening fast; he was Little BIg Man. Loved his game.
krl97a
Clearly the first ballot HoFer Tony Dorsett.
Dorsett highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyqe-RW_mE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsujYQKMdos
camrin55
They need to make special Madden controllers
That replace the spin move buttons with a silhouette of Dorsett.
Alright, BTBers, which man advances to the Elite Eight?
Poll
Who is the "better" Cowboy?
- Larry Allen
- Tony Dorsett
87 votes | Results
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