Synopsis
The Pro Football Hall of Fame-bound Marcus Allen tells the story of his rise to football fame with candid thoughts on how he achieved his childhood dream and rarely-seen photos from his personal collection., From Marcus Allen's early days of Pop Warner football in Southern California, he had one goal for his football career: the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As absurd as it may sound for a 10-year-old boy to think about reaching the NFL, let alone the Hall of Fame, that was Marcus Allen. During his freshman season at the University of Southern California, head coach John Robinson asked Allen if he'd be willing to switch from defensive back to running back. Even though Allen enjoyed the defensive side of the ball because he could hit people, he willingly made the switch to offense to ensure more playing time. Marcus Allen's journey to the Hall of Fame had begun. The switch proved to be fortuitous both for Marcus Allen and USC. In 1979, as a fullback, Allen helped block the way for Charles White to win the Heisman Trophy. Two years later, as a senior tailback, Allen set a then-NCAA record with 2,342 rushing yards, becoming the first college player to eclipse 2,000 yards. He also set 13 additional NCAA records, tied two others, and was the runaway winner of the Heisman. Although many "experts" didn't think Marcus Allen had the size or speed to be a good running back in the NFL, he proved them all wrong. In fact, he rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown in his first regular-season game for the Los Angeles Raiders, against the defending world champion San Francisco 49ers. He went on to have a tremendous rookie season, winning the Rookie of the Year award. Despite rough seasons off the field with Raiders owner Al Davis, Allen never lost sight of his boyhood dream of reaching the Hall of Fame. He enjoyed eleven successful seasons with the Raiders that included a Super Bowl and an NFL Most Valuable Player award. Allen spent the last five seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. During his first season, Allen became a fan and team favorite, being selected by his teammates as the Chiefs' Most Valuable Player and winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Even up to his final NFL season in 1997, Allen played the game competitively, with tenacity and class. Marcus Allen has been on an incredible football journey, taking fans with him every step of the way, culminating in induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Complete with rarely seen photos from his personal collection, along with his candid thoughts on how he achieved his childhood dream, Road to Canton captures the exciting tale of Marcus Allen, the player and the person. Book jacket.
