Eric Benjamin Allen (May 18, 1949 – October 27, 2015) was an American gridiron football player. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a ...

team from 1969 to 1971 and professional football for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

from 1972 to 1975. A 1968 graduate of

Howard High School Howard High School may refer to: * David T. Howard High School, a former high school in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. * Howard High School of Technology Howard High School of Technology is a vocational-technical high school in Wilmington, Delaware and is ...

Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

, Allen gained over 3,000 combined rushing and passing yards for Michigan State. On October 30, 1971, Allen set an NCAA single-game record with 350 rushing yards on 29 carries in a 43-10 win over Purdue. He broke the prior record of 347 yards set by

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American accountant, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Se ...

of Michigan in 1968. During the 1971 season, Allen led the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

in both rushing yardage (1,410), yards from scrimmage (1,769), rushing yards per carry (5.8), and touchdowns (18). He was the first Big Ten player to score more than 100 points in a season. Allen finished 10th in the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

voting in 1971. Allen was drafted by the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

in the fourth round of the

1972 NFL Draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

, but did not sign and played in the CFL for the

. During his rookie year with the Argonauts, he caught 53 passes for 1,067 yards and eight touchdowns. He also gained 220 rushing yards on 50 carries during the 1972 season. Allen died in hospice care at his hometown on October 27, 2015.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Eric 1949 births 2015 deaths American football running backs Canadian football wide receivers Michigan State Spartans football players Toronto Argonauts players People from Georgetown, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football