Will Allen (born June 17, 1982) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
. Allen 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
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, and received
All-American honors. He was drafted in the fourth round of the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...
by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
and also played for the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
and
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
.
Early years
Allen was born in
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, Ohio. He attended
Wayne High School in
Huber Heights, Ohio, and played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
for the Wayne Warriors. He was a member of Wayne High School's 1999 Division I State Runner-Up team, along with fellow Ohio State recruit John Hollins. His high school jersey #4 is the only number that has been officially retired by Wayne High School. Allen was named Division I first-team all-Ohio by The Associated Press for his senior season. He was rated as the No.4 defensive back prospect and the No.27 overall prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep, and rated as the No.53 defensive back prospect in the nation by Rivals100.com.
College career
Allen received an
athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United Stat ...
to attend
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, where he was a four-year
letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
for coach
Jim Tressel
James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American college football coach and university administrator who is currently the president of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. Before becoming an administrator, Tressel was the ...
's
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium in ...
team from 2000 to 2003. As a senior in 2003, he was a consensus first-team
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
selection. In his first three seasons at Ohio State he played behind three-time All American
Mike Doss
Michael Allen Doss (born March 24, 1981) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for Ohio State University, earned consensus All-American honors, and was ...
, seeing action on the field primarily in
nickel coverage on passing downs.
Allen is perhaps best remembered among college football fans for two plays made during the 2002 BCS national championship season. The first occurred during the 2002
Ohio State-Michigan game, intercepting a pass from
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
John Navarre
John Robert Navarre (born September 9, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who was a three-year starter for the Michigan Wolverines from 2001 to 2003, leading the Wolverines to the 2003 Big Ten Conference championship in his final year ...
during the closing seconds to preserve the 14–9 victory and an undefeated regular season. The second play was only one game later in the
2003 Fiesta Bowl
The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was the designated Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season, taking place on January 3, 2003 at Sun Devil Sta ...
for the
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
. In the second half, Allen tackled
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
Willis McGahee
Willis Andrew McGahee III (born October 21, 1981) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Miami, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of t ...
and delivered a shoulder blow to his left knee. McGahee had to be helped off the field; McGahee suffered ligament damage and was forced to miss his whole rookie year in the NFL.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Allen played in every game in his
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
year on special teams but saw increasing time as a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
in the final weeks of the season. He made his first NFL interception against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
and his first
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
in week 6 of the following season against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. He started eight games in 2005, playing at both free safety and strong safety due to injuries to
Jermaine Phillips
Jermaine Phillips (born March 27, 1979) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.
Phillips e ...
and
Dexter Jackson.
Allen's most noted contribution in his young NFL career occurred against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in 2005, when he intercepted Packers quarterback
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
twice in the fourth quarter. Buccaneers starting safety,
Dexter Jackson, had been injured midway through the second quarter with a hamstring strain. Allen came into the game as a substitute. Allen was the Buccaneers' special teams captain in 2008. Allen was the first alternate for NFC Special Teams for the 2009 Pro Bowl. He was re-signed to a 1-year $2.35 million contract on February 28, 2009.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On March 8, 2010, Allen signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. On November 9, 2012, Allen was fined $7,875 for a late hit against
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
receiver
Victor Cruz in Week 9.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 27, 2013, Allen signed a one-year, $840,000 contract with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. The deal included a $65,000 signing bonus. He was released on October 8, 2013.
Second stint with Steelers
Allen returned to the Steelers in October 2013. He signed a 1-year $1,020,000 contract, then another $1,050,000 contract with the Steelers the following year.
Steelers bring back veteran safety Will Allen
/ref>
The Will Allen Foundation
The Will Allen Foundation was created in May 2008 to inspire youth to attain their personal best and to be an influence in the lives of families in Dayton, Ohio; Tampa, Florida; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The foundation's main focus is to provide students in the Quest for Real Life Success program with "real" life experiences and expose them to new and rewarding opportunities. Quest allows them to explore their curiosities and gives them the desire to strive and achieve goals outside of the everyday opportunities currently afforded to them.
The mission of the Will Allen Foundation is to remove barriers by providing programs and resources for those committed to achieving their personal best, bettering themselves, their families and their communities.
The vision of the Will Allen Foundation is to provide a level playing field for all, allowing for each individual to achieve their greatest success.
References
External links
Steelers player page
NFL Player Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Will
1982 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football safeties
Dallas Cowboys players
Ohio State Buckeyes football players
People from Huber Heights, Ohio
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Dayton, Ohio
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players