Don't talk to Marcus Allen about a sophomore slump.
After winning rookie of the year honors with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982, the Heisman Trophy winner from USC capped his second season by climbing to the top of the NFL universe as MVP of Super Bowl XVIII.
Not only did he rush for more than 1,000 yards in the regular season, but he added 154 yards in the AFC Championship Game win over Seattle that put the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Once there, he grabbed the spotlight with a dazzling performance.
As Washington's John Riggins had done the year before, Allen made a spectacular run the signature play of the game. While the Raiders set a Super Bowl record for points and victory margin in their 38-9 win over Washington, it was Allen's 74-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter that was the highlight of the team's impressive victory.
After taking a handoff from quarterback Jim Plunkett, Allen headed around left end. Bottled up there, he reversed field, turned the right corner and evaded several Redskins' tacklers on the way to the end zone. The run broke a record of 58 yards set by Tom Matte in Super Bowl III. Some consider it one of the greatest runs in NFL history.
"We had at least seven guys touch him and couldn't bring him down," said then-Redskins guard Mark May, who watched the play helplessly from the sideline. "That really snapped our backs."
Allen scored his first Super Bowl touchdown midway through the third quarter. His 5-yard run finished off a 70-yard Los Angeles drive. Allen broke Riggins' Super Bowl rushing record with 191 yards on 20 carries.
Allen played nine more seasons for the Raiders and then closed out his career with five seasons in Kansas City. He retired after the 1997 season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
