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 team from 1969 to 1971 and professional football for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League 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, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. * Howard High School (Howard County, Maryland), in Ellicott City, Maryla ...

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 of Michigan in 1968. During the 1971 season, Allen led the Big Ten Conference 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 Toronto Argonauts. 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