Marcus LeMarr Allen Bio: Career, Cheating Scandals & Net Worth

Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football Player and an Analyst for NFL. He is the brother of Damon L. Allen, a former professional quarterback who played in the CFL.

Standing at 1.87 m and 209 lb height, Marcus Allen is still as athletic as he was in his playing years.

Allen was drafted as the 10th overall pick of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders.

Allen retired after the 1997 season and in 1999, Allen was also inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame.

He has played for 11 seasons for Los Angeles Raiders and last five seasons for Kansas City Cheifs and has won multiple awards for his exceptional game throughout his career.

With that in 2022 Marcus LeMarr Allen, a Hall of Fame holder, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company.

Here is a summary of quick facts about Marcus Allen before diving into detail on his football player journey.

Quick Facts

Early Life, High School, College, & Rising Star

Born in San Diego, California, Marcus Allen attended high school at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego and played the Quarterback and safety positions.

People often mention that watching Allen play in high school, especially in the 1977 CIF Title game against Kearny High School, they saw his potential to be a superstar in him.

In that game, Marcus led his high school team to a 34-6 victory. He scored 5 touchdowns, including one after intercepting a pass.

Allen played phenomenally, rushing for 195 yards in that game.

College Career

Marcus started college at the University of Southern California (USC) as a defensive back; however, he became the tailback when the then-head coach, John Robinson, switched him to the said position.

As a freshman in 1978, Marcus Allen was a member of the USC Trojans National Championship Team. He played as a backup to the eventual Heisman Trophy, where he won the running back Charles White.

He was moved back to fullback in his sophomore year in 1979. Allen became the starter at tailback in his junior year and rushed 1563 yards, which was the 3rd best in the country that year.

In 1981, he became the second player in NCAA history to rush for over 2000 yards in a single season.

He had total offensive yards of 2,683, leading the nation in scores. He won the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award.

Marcus also became the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Allen holds the NCAA record for most 200-yard rushing games along with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne.

Marcus Allen completed the four college seasons with 4,664 rushing yards, 5232 total yards, and 46 touchdowns. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

As a tribute to Marcus Allen, USC has retired his jersey #33.

Professional Career

Los Angeles Raiders

Marcus Allen was drafted as the 10th overall selection in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders.

The team had relocated from Oakland, and he was happy that he didn’t have to travel and leave California.

One of the other things Allen remembers about the draft is that the Raiders had asked him his weight before drafting him.

Allen played fantastically in his rookie year despite the strike. He rushed for 697 yards, and the Raiders had the best record in the AFC. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

In the net season, Marcus Allen broke his 1000-yard mark for the first time, an accomplishment he repeated multiple times.

In 1985, Allen rushed for 1795 yards and scored 11 touchdowns on 380 carries, leading the Raiders to a 12-4 record and the AFC West Division Championship. He was also named the NFL MVP.

In Super Bowl XVIII, he helped the team gain victory against the Washington Redskins with a 74-yard touchdown, which remained the longest run in Super Bowl until Willie Parker’s 75-yard touchdown record in Super Bowl XL.

His 191 rushing yards were also a record until Tommy Smith of the Washington Redskins topped it with 204 rushing yards.

Allen also became a part of a small group of players who won the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.

Marcus Allen was initially commended for his gracious and team-spirited nature because he shared the spotlight even during the prime time of his career. 

Later Season With the Raiders

However, in the later seasons, Allen’s relationship with the Raiders owner, Al Davis, started with a contract dispute.

The world knew their relationship had turned sour when Al Davis called Marcus Allen the ” cancer to the team.”

Allen missed the 1989 season due to a knee injury. He was relegated to backup duty in his last three seasons with the Raiders.

Their relationship had worsened when in a halftime interview, Allen was recorded as saying that Davis threatened to “get him.”

“I think he [Davis] tried to ruin the latter part of my career, tried to devalue me. He’s trying to stop me from going to the Hall of Fame. They don’t want me to play.”

Kansas City Cheifs

Marcus Allen eventually left the Los Angeles Raiders and joined the Kansas City Cheifs in 1993. He was a phenomenal player in that team too.

He led their team to the AFC Championship and scored touchdowns in both games in the playoffs. Marcus was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association.

After the retirement of Eric Dickerson, Allen became the leader in career rushing yards, which was still in his name until Barry Sanders surpassed it in 1997.

Allen retired after the season of 1997. In 2008, Allen joined OPENsports.com as a blogger and even answered a few of the members’ questions.

Awards, Accolades & Records

NFL Records

• Consecutive seasons with multiple touchdowns: 16 – (tied with Irving Fryar)
• Consecutive seasons with a rushing touchdown: 16
• Oldest player to score 10+ touchdowns in a season: 37 years old
• Consecutive seasons with multiple rushing touchdowns: 16

Awards & Accolades (Career Highlights)

• Won the Super Bowl champion (XVIII)
• Received the Super Bowl MVP (XVIII)
• Six-Time Pro Bowl Champion (1982, 1984–1987, 1993)
• Two Time First-team All-Pro (1982, 1985)
• Second-team All-Pro (1984)
• Was awarded NFL Most Valuable Player (1985)
• Two times NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1982, 1993)
• Received NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1985)
• Became a national champion (1978)
• Bagged the NFL Rookie of the Year (1982)
• Became the NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1993)
• Won the Heisman Trophy (1981)
• Was the NFL rushing yards leader (1985)
• Received the Maxwell Award (1981)
• Won the Walter Camp Award (1981)
• Was awarded the Pac-10 Player of the Year (1981)
• Given the Unanimous All-American (1981)
• Received the Second-team All-American (1980)
• His jersey number, no. 33, was retired in his honor

Personal Life, Divorce, Cheating Scandal & Net Worth

Marcus LeMarr Allen was born on March 26, 1960, to Harold Allen and Gwendolyn Allen in San Diego, California. He has 2 siblings.

Allen married his fiance Kathryn Edwards in 1993. They met in 1986 and got engaged two years later. They got married at the estate of the notorious O.J. Simpson.

The couple divorced in 2001 after rumors that Marcus Allen had an extramarital affair with Nicole Brown Simpson, the wife of O.J. Simpson.

Allen’s unfaithful activities are claimed in a book by Faye Resnick, Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted.

This book was published during the murder trial of Nicole Simpson against O.J. Simpson, who mentioned that they were indeed having an affair.

The net worth of Marcus Allen is around $4 million.

Marcus Allen has a son named Drake Connor Allen with his girlfriend, Lauren Hunter.

Marcus Allen has also written a few books, including co-writing his autobiography Marcus: The Autobiography of Marcus Allen.

His other books include Strength of the Heart, Reunion, Marcus, The Impossible Way, The Inquire Method: A Revolutionary, etcetera.

2022 Update 

The entertainment and media company centered on the power of professional football announced in 2022 of NFL Hall of Fame running back Marcus LeMarr Allen to its Board of Directors.

Claiming Allen will be a valuable asset to the Board because he brings a unique perspective to the company that will help the HOFV brand grow and generate revenue by incorporating the essence of professional football into business initiatives.

Social Media

Allen seems quite private with his personal life and only shares his thoughts and opinion on Twitter with 36.1 k followers.

See you tonight! @Lids @NewEraCap

Visit https://t.co/Vz14tf7KDM for event info. pic.twitter.com/7rcZAeeI7t

— Marcus Allen (@MarcusAllenHOF) November 12, 2022

We could not find his official accounts on Instagram or Facebook.

The Search Graph

The search graph of Marcus depicts a good amount of search as he is still active as an analyst.

The above graph shows Allen’s popularity over the past twelve months.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Are Marcus Allen and O.J. Simpson related?

No, they were best friends at one point but were not related. Their friendship seems to have abruptly ended after Mr. Simpson was arrested for the alleged murder of his wife and her best friend.

Does Marcus Allen have kids?

Marcus Allen has a son with his past girlfriend, Lauren Hunter.

What does Marcus Allen do now?

Marcus Allen is a football Analyst now. He also worked as the spokesperson of OPENsports.com and wrote blog posts for them for quite a time. He also occasionally answered member questions in the forum.