2025 Hall of Fame: Eric Allen was the epitome of excellence at cornerback
[More on Hall of Famers: Sterling Sharpe | Jared Allen | Antonio Gates]
The great John Madden could be prone to hyperbole at times, but Madden also had a deep appreciation for great football and great players.
The excitement in the voices of Madden and Pat Summerall on Oct. 3, 1993 at old Giants Stadium was unmistakeable. The player who pulled it out of them was Eric Allen.
The New York Jets led Allen's Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter when Jets QB Boomer Esiason missed on a pass. Allen reached back to pick it off, then started spinning and juking his way through the Jets. He broke free for a 94-yard score, which gave the Eagles a 35-30 lead. That would end up being the final score.
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"That is one of the greatest plays I've ever seen in this league," Madden said on the broadcast. "Not only the interception, but that runback, and spins and everything Eric Allen did on that play."
"Want to see it again? I do," Summerall said. "Just enjoy this."
Allen had 14 great seasons in the NFL, and that's why he's heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But if it's possible to sum up a Hall of Fame career in about 20 seconds, just watch Allen weaving his way through the Jets for what would be a game-winning touchdown.
Eric Allen made his name with Eagles
Allen didn't have a flashy persona like other star cornerbacks, but his performance on the field was undeniable.
Allen was one of the best cover corners of his era. He wasn't the biggest player, at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, but he was quick and had tremendous anticipation. When quarterbacks threw his way, he often ended up with his hands on the ball. Allen had 54 interceptions and returned eight of them for touchdowns. He led the NFL in pick-6s in 1993 and again in 2000.
Allen is best remembered for his role in a phenomenal Eagles defense. He was drafted in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft and started all 16 games as a rookie. In his second season, he was a first-team All-Pro. That was his only time as a first-team All-Pro but he probably deserved more. He was a six-time Pro Bowler.
Allen made the Pro Bowl in five of his seven seasons with the Eagles. That Philly team could never get to a Super Bowl (though Allen had two interceptions, including a pick-6, in a wild-card playoff win over the Saints at the end of the 1992 season) but fantastic defenses that included Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons and Seth Joyner among others are remembered fondly.
Allen moved on from the Eagles for the 1995 season, at age 30, but he was far from finished.
Allen was a 'complete cornerback'
Allen spent three more seasons with the Saints, then finished his career with four more seasons on the Raiders. He was a starter from the beginning of his career to the end, starting 214 of 217 games he played. He missed just seven games in 14 seasons and was still a starter at age 36.
Allen was overshadowed a bit in his era by cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson, but he was among the best who have ever played the position.
"I feel like I was a complete cornerback," Allen said, via the Eagles' site. "I traveled with the best of the best receivers in the game — left side, right side, everything. I think there are 13 or 14 receivers I played against who are in the Hall of Fame."
It took a while for Allen to get the call to the Hall of Fame. His final season was 2001. That's a long time to wait for a player who was considered one of the best of his era at his position.
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