Class of 2025: Jared Allen – Showman followed sack-filled golden path to Canton

By Barry Wilner
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

If Hollywood makes a biopic of Jared Allen, why not cast Hugh Jackman in the role? After all, Allen was the greatest showman of pro football.

His forte was the sack, 136 of them. His signature celebration was pretending to rope a calf the same way he knocked down a quarterback.

And Allen admitted to enjoying dropping “every one of them.”

Allen’s four All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowls and two finishes in the top five for Defensive Player of the Year are key stats. His entertainment quotient was off the charts. 

And now he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Naturally, he wore a cowboy hat onstage.

“I was a PR/marketing major in college,” Allen said during his enshrinement speech Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. “My family and friends are probably wondering why on Earth would a guy who dropped out of college twice be talking about his major.

“Because in marketing/branding there is a concept called ‘sell your why.’ ‘What’ is your product? ‘Why’ is what makes you different; it’s your long game. It’s what drives you to do all necessary steps to achieve your goal.”

Which, when you think about it, defines any Gold Jacket-wearing Hall of Famer – 104 of whom were in attendance Saturday. 

Allen played 12 seasons at the highest level, breaking in as a fourth-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2004. He was dominant basically from his first pro snap and had nine sacks as a rookie. Adding to his repertoire, he contributed six forced fumbles, two recoveries and five passes defensed, plus 11 sacks in 2005. Two years later, his last season in Kansas City, Allen led the NFL with 15.5 QB takedowns.

Then came a trade to Minnesota, where Allen terrorized opposing offenses with his speed, strength, savvy and relentlessness. He had 85.5 sacks in six seasons with the Vikings, his 2011 total of 22 only a half-sack off the league record.

He also was responsible for four safeties.

Allen played 18 games for the Bears and, in his final NFL season of 2015, made the Super Bowl with the Panthers, playing in his last game with a broken foot.

He succinctly summed up his success by crediting it to fear, respect and the pursuit of greatness.

“Fear. I’m not talking about the type of fear that cripples you and makes you avoid something,” he said. “I’m talking about that healthy fear of failure that motivates you to do whatever you can to succeed. The type of fear that lets you get knocked down and then realize you don’t want to get knocked down again, so you pick yourself up and learn and improve.

“Respect. I always played this game for the respect of my peers and those who came before me. 

“(I’ll) never forget the day I got an email from Jack Youngblood that told me he thought I played the game the right way.  

“Pursuit of greatness. When you respect something or someone so much you want to honor that thing or person by being the best you can possibly be. That’s why I had the NFL sack leaders taped up in my locker every season – so I could see what greatness was every day and never feel like I had arrived.” 

Except that Allen has arrived in his fifth year of eligibility at the shrine of football greatness. Of course, he didn’t do so alone, and Allen spoke of the folks who made this trip with him: 

•    Teammates, seven of whom are in the Hall. They “led or supported” him, players such as Vikings Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, whom he dubbed the Williams Wall. “I was just trying to be one of the best linemen in our room,” he said.
•    Owners, including the Hunt family that approved drafting him out of Idaho State “making the dream of an 8-year-old kid come true.”
•    Coaches, ranging from fellow Hall of Famer Dick Vermeil to such other top pros as Herm Edwards, Brad Childress, Leslie Frazier, John Fox and Ron Rivera.

And, naturally, family. 

Allen’s father, Ron, was his presenter Saturday. 

“You never let circumstance affect your joy,” Allen said. “You were a constant example of hard work …”

His mother, “always a source of grace and compassion. Always there with a prayer. Even when I was a complete knucklehead, you never judged me. At least not to my face.”

His stepfather, who taught Allen “if you take the right steps you will have success in whatever you do.”

Allen’s wife, Amy: “I’m in awe of you every single day.”

And his “amazing daughters Brinley and Lakelyn.”

“Through this process the word ‘legacy’ has been talked about a lot,” Allen said, tears filling his eyes. “The Hall often says they are here to tell my story. Well, I’m here to tell you that you two are my greatest accomplishments.”

Allen admits to being a history buff, and he asked Hall of Fame President Jim Porter why the jackets worn by enshrinees are gold. 

“Thinking there might have been a deeper reason than the obvious that gold represents the best,” Allen said. “Surprisingly there wasn’t a (specific explanation), so I like to believe it’s because gold is a reflective metal. None of us stand on this stage alone. This jacket is a direct reflection of all of you who have poured into me over my life and career.

“I might be the one wearing this jacket, but I hope every time you see this jacket you see yourselves in it.”