Marcus: The Autobiography of Marcus Allen

Sporting News, The, Oct 27, 1997 by Steve Gietschier

(By Marcus Allen with Carlton Stowers. 313 pp. St. Martin's Press. $24.95).

If you think Marcus Allen's autobiography will supply new grist for the O.J. Simpson rumor mill, forget it. Concerning the allegation he had an affair with Nicole Brown Simpson, Allen is bluntly dismissive. And on the larger question of guilt, he says: "I'd long since made up my mind that I would refuse to judge. And to the; day there is but one certainty I can share: I am and forever will be tortured by the loss of two people who were my friends; one murdered, one now forced to live a lifetime being blamed for the tragedy."

The real villain in this book is not a murderer, but an owner, Al Davis. From the day the Raiders drafted Allen in 1982 until the day he signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in '93, Davis did his nefarious best, Allen is convinced, to denigrate Allen's ability and to make his professional life miserable, for reasons known but to himself. Only by filing for free agency after the '92 season when he started no games and rushed the ball only 67 times did Allen escape this curious curse. Understandably, how this pas de deux played out occupies a good chunk of this memoir.

Allen was born in San Diego to a family that valued discipline and education. He signed with USC as a defensive back switched to offense to understudy Charles White and became the first college back to gain more than 2,000 yards in a season. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1981 and was named Player of the Year by The Sporting News.

His career as a pro has put him on the road to Canton, capped as it is by winning the 1985 MVP Award and setting the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns.

The picture Allen paints of himself is that of the consummate professional dedicated family man and community leader. His ego is just large enough to fuel his drive for success, and his image as a party animal is, he says, entirely overblown.

Sections in this book on social and political issues confronting the NFL seem heavily influenced by Allen's co-author, but the football passages tend to ring true.