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CANTON, Ohio – Larry Allen shocked the NFL when he bench pressed 700 pounds. On Saturday night, he stunned the league again with another impressive number.
Fighting back tears and nerves at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the former Dallas Cowboys guard put together a surprisingly touching and frequently humorous 16-minute speech highlighted by his memories of lessons from his parents that helped carry him through 14 seasons.
An 11-time Pro Bowler who started at every position along the offensive line except center while playing for Dallas from 1994-2005, the shy Allen rarely spoke to the media and gave just a 13-second acceptance speech when inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Those facts led many to predict his speech wouldn’t last even 10 minutes.
But Allen, wearing sunglasses to hide his tears and often either nervously rubbing his hands together or pinching his nose, easily topped that mark.
“My goal was simple, to earn a seven-letter word called respect…Today my mission is complete,” Allen said.
The Class of 2013 also includes Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Bill Parcells, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson and Warren Sapp.
Culp played part of his career with the Houston Oilers. Parcells, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins, capped his coaching career with a four seasons in Dallas.
“I’d like (my bust) to be somewhere near Lawrence Taylor, so I can keep an eye on that sucker,” joked Parcells, who used the adjective “great” to describe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Presented by Jones, who he called “a father figure,” Allen grew up in a tough section of Los Angeles, where his late mother, Vera, helped steer him away from gang life.
“Growing up in Compton…it’s rough out there,” Allen said. “I was protecting my little brother (from this) guy who was a little older than me. He ended up stabbing me. Three months later, my mother said, ‘I’m not raising any punks,’ so she made me fight this guy. She said, ‘You will fight him until you win.’
“First day, I lost. Second day, I lost. The third day, I finally won. That was one of the most valuable lessons I learned in my life: Never back down from anybody. I carried that lesson through my whole career. I just knew I had to win every play, and that’s the reason I’m here today.”
Allen also learned a valuable lesson from his father, Larry Sr.
“He taught me to never get mad, but to get even, to control my temper,” Allen said. “I also used that in the game of football. I knew if I lost a play, I had 45 seconds to get even.”
Allen drew laughter recalling his first date with his wife, Janelle.
“She cooked me two chickens, French fries and baked me a cake and gave me a 40 ounce (beer),” Allen said. “I knew then that was my wife right there.”
More laughs came, when Allen remember his reaction to the Cowboys drafting him in the second round out of Division II Sonoma State in 1994.
“Ran out of my apartment and jumped into the swimming pool with all my clothes on,” he said.
In helping pave the way for Emmitt Smith to become the NFL rushing king, Allen often blasted defenders yards off the line of scrimmage.
But it wasn’t always that way. He said being dominated by the Eagles’ Reggie White convinced him he had to get stronger.
“I got in that weight room and became the strongest man in the NFL – I did it naturally,” Allen said, laughing. “What’s funny is once I benched 700 pounds, they tested me twice a week for the rest of my career.”
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Fighting back tears and nerves at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the former Dallas Cowboys guard put together a surprisingly touching and frequently humorous 16-minute speech highlighted by his memories of lessons from his parents that helped carry him through 14 seasons.
An 11-time Pro Bowler who started at every position along the offensive line except center while playing for Dallas from 1994-2005, the shy Allen rarely spoke to the media and gave just a 13-second acceptance speech when inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Those facts led many to predict his speech wouldn’t last even 10 minutes.
But Allen, wearing sunglasses to hide his tears and often either nervously rubbing his hands together or pinching his nose, easily topped that mark.
“My goal was simple, to earn a seven-letter word called respect…Today my mission is complete,” Allen said.
The Class of 2013 also includes Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Bill Parcells, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson and Warren Sapp.
Culp played part of his career with the Houston Oilers. Parcells, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins, capped his coaching career with a four seasons in Dallas.
“I’d like (my bust) to be somewhere near Lawrence Taylor, so I can keep an eye on that sucker,” joked Parcells, who used the adjective “great” to describe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Presented by Jones, who he called “a father figure,” Allen grew up in a tough section of Los Angeles, where his late mother, Vera, helped steer him away from gang life.
“Growing up in Compton…it’s rough out there,” Allen said. “I was protecting my little brother (from this) guy who was a little older than me. He ended up stabbing me. Three months later, my mother said, ‘I’m not raising any punks,’ so she made me fight this guy. She said, ‘You will fight him until you win.’
“First day, I lost. Second day, I lost. The third day, I finally won. That was one of the most valuable lessons I learned in my life: Never back down from anybody. I carried that lesson through my whole career. I just knew I had to win every play, and that’s the reason I’m here today.”
Allen also learned a valuable lesson from his father, Larry Sr.
“He taught me to never get mad, but to get even, to control my temper,” Allen said. “I also used that in the game of football. I knew if I lost a play, I had 45 seconds to get even.”
Allen drew laughter recalling his first date with his wife, Janelle.
“She cooked me two chickens, French fries and baked me a cake and gave me a 40 ounce (beer),” Allen said. “I knew then that was my wife right there.”
More laughs came, when Allen remember his reaction to the Cowboys drafting him in the second round out of Division II Sonoma State in 1994.
“Ran out of my apartment and jumped into the swimming pool with all my clothes on,” he said.
In helping pave the way for Emmitt Smith to become the NFL rushing king, Allen often blasted defenders yards off the line of scrimmage.
But it wasn’t always that way. He said being dominated by the Eagles’ Reggie White convinced him he had to get stronger.
“I got in that weight room and became the strongest man in the NFL – I did it naturally,” Allen said, laughing. “What’s funny is once I benched 700 pounds, they tested me twice a week for the rest of my career.”
Continue reading...