Why Clemson football's Terry Allen is an inspiration to all NFL Draft late-round picks
Every year about this time, the greatest late-round NFL Draft pick in Clemson football history recalls that day in April 1990 when the Minnesota Vikings finally called his name.
Terry Allen had to wait a couple of days to get the news; he was the 21st pick of the ninth round of the draft, 241st overall.
Thirty running backs were chosen before Allen, including seven who never played a down in the NFL.
While the draft unfolded at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, Allen was busy playing pick-up basketball at Fike Field House on the Clemson campus.
Allen’s girlfriend and eventual wife, Annette, received the news first and called a phone in the gym to let him know.
Allen’s reaction?
“Oh, it’s really cold up there …”
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Minnesota tends to be a bit too low on the thermometer for a young man from Homer, Georgia, but it didn’t take long for Allen to warm up to Minneapolis.
Besides, when he arrived in the North Star State he found another native Georgian with whom to commiserate about the weather.
“They had signed Herschel Walker the year before,” Allen said. “So, yeah, when I got there Herschel was the guy.”
Within a couple of seasons, Allen was the guy.
He rewarded the Vikings for taking a ninth-round chance on a player who’d missed multiple games in his junior season at Clemson because of a knee injury. Allen posted 1,000-yard seasons in 1992 and 1994, then added 1,300-yard seasons in 1995 and 1996 after being dealt to the Washington Redskins. He would go on to play five more seasons, including stints with the Patriots, Saints and Ravens, and finish his career with 8,614 yards and 73 touchdowns.
Today, Allen’s career path is an inspirational tale for all future draft selections who will be doubted, shunned, ignored, passed over or generally jilted.
Each year Allen watches the draft with interest, not so much to relive his past but rather to witness the origins of fledgling careers.
“I always want to see our guys get their name called,” Allen said.
One of the former Clemson players hoping to get a call this week is tight end Davis Allen, a 6-foot-6 tight end from Calhoun, Georgia, who is expected to be a late-round selection.
Allen offers some simple advice: “Just get picked. All you’re looking for is the opportunity.”
Terry Allen made the most of his opportunity, even long after his playing days were over. He returned to Clemson several years ago and completed his undergraduate degree in management, fulfilling a promise to his mother.
While there he also joined coach Dabo Swinney’s staff as a student assistant, helping coach running backs, of course.
“That experience opened my eyes to how much I enjoy helping kids,” Allen said.
He has since returned to his alma mater – Banks County High School – and devoted himself to working with kids who are falling behind in the classroom and getting them back on track academically.
He’ll also help coach the Leopards football team this fall, making him a Leopard all over again.
But still a Viking as well.
“I’m always gonna consider myself a Viking because that was the team that gave me my opportunity,” Allen said. “Never ever will I forget that. They took the chance.”
And Allen beat the odds.
Of the 40 running backs drafted in 1990, only one played longer and totaled more yards than Allen: Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
Not bad for a ninth-round draft pick from Homer, Georgia, who learned to deal with the cold.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: NFL Draft: Clemson football's Terry Allen can inspire late-round picks
