A player with one of the biggest personalities in the National Football League has grown up.
Oh, Jared Allen still likes to have fun, but the priorities of the former Idaho State Bengal football player have changed.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound All-Pro defensive end is almost 32-years old. He’s married, with a two-year-old daughter. He and his wife Amy are expecting another child. The professional football career of the man who ranks eighth on the Big Sky Conference’s list of “50 Greatest Male Athletes” isn’t over, but it’s certainly on the backside.
No, this isn’t the same Jared Allen who enrolled at Idaho State back in the fall of the 2000, as a “selfish, egotistical young kid.’’
“I think you’re constantly growing as a human being,’’ Allen said via phone on a recent Saturday morning as he watched surfers from his balcony in Hawai’i. “Back then, football was my life. Football was everything. It was a means to an end. Now the perspective has changed. When you get married, you have to focus on your bride, have to focus on providing for your family. When you have kids, it becomes all about your family.’’
Allen’s recent trip to Hawai’i wasn’t a vacation. His non-profit foundation was in the midst of one of its biggest events of the year, the “Helping Heroes Golf & Gala.” Since 2009, Allen’s “Homes for Wounded Warriors” has been providing funds to build and retrofit homes for severely injured military personnel returning from conflict. Allen started the foundation in 2009 after a USO trip to United States Military bases in the Middle East.
“I tell our donors all the time that I can show them the tangible difference they make in a person’s life,’’ Allen said. “It might be the doors we’ve put in, or the windows we’ve put in. When you hand those keys over to those people, you can see the relief on their faces, see their demeanors change. There is a sense of ownership, a sense of community, a sense of self worth. It does wonders for their recovery mentally and physically.’’
Allen has also been involved with other charities, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He’s also donated to Idaho State, providing nearly $200,000 to renovate the weight room, which is now “The Jared Allen Strength and Conditioning Center.’’ He also provided funds for a locker room renovation.
Allen, raised on a horse ranch in Morgan Hill, Calif., has the resources to donate. He recently completed a six-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings that paid him more than $70 million. He earned every penny.
No player in the NFL has amassed more sacks since 2004 than Allen, who now ranks 12th in league history with 128.5. He led the NFL in sacks in 2007 and 2011, when he recorded 22, ½ sack shy of the single-season NFL record. Allen has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times, and a First Team All-Pro four times.
In 10 NFL seasons – four with Kansas City and six with Minnesota – he has tallied 559 total tackles, five interceptions, 29 forced fumbles and 50 pass deflections. His statistics already warrant strong Hall of Fame consideration.
“It’s something I’ve looked at and considered,’’ Allen said. “It wasn’t like a few years ago, that was the ultimate goal. I’m probably on the cusp of having the numbers. But it’s up to someone else if they feel I have the numbers to stack up. All I can do is put everything I’ve got out there. I know at the end of the day, when I retire, that I played the game the right way. I had the respect of my peers, the respect of those who came before me, and I can hold my head high. If the Hall of Fame happens, that would be an absolute honor, if it doesn’t I’m not going to walk away from the game with any regrets.’’
If that day comes, Allen would become the second former Big Sky Conference player to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Former Montana State kicker Jan Stenerud was inducted in 1991. The only thing missing from Allen’s professional resume is a Super Bowl, and playing for a contending team could be a factor as he is courted by franchises as a free-agent this off-season.
“Obviously winning a Super Bowl is huge, it’s the ultimate goal,’’ Allen said. “As I get older and I’ve accomplished some of the individual things, yeah that weighs heavily on my mind. I know what its like to play in the NFC Championship game, and that was second-to-none. I’ve never experienced anything like that as far as football. I don’t know how it’s going to play out, but having a chance and an opportunity is something weighing on my mind.’’
His professional accolades are amazing considering he was a fourth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, and they liked him more as a long-snapper than a defensive end. He certainly proved he possessed the tools to be a dominant pass rusher during his highly-decorated career at Idaho State.
Recruited to the Bengals by Larry Lewis, Allen showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman in 2000. As a sophomore in 2001, he garnered First Team All-Conference honors for the first of three times when he had 6.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. As a junior in 2002, he registered 10 ½ sacks, 18 tackles for loss, with four forced fumbles, earning First Team All-Conference honors for the second time. He also helped the Bengals to a share of the conference title.
He said playing in the Big Sky Conference helped him for life in the NFL, because he was ready to work and prove himself.
“I’ve found a lot of the I-AA guys appreciate what they have, because you have to work to get it,’’ he said. “I don’t sense that feeling of entitlement from the I-AA players because everyone is telling you that you came from an inferior conference, that the level of competition isn’t the same. When you come from a smaller league, you are willing to do more and that keeps you in the NFL. You’re not settling for the fact that you’ve made a little money. You have to keep pushing, keep continuing to strive because no matter what, you’ll never be like the FBS player is. Playing in the Big Sky gave me a constant chip on my shoulder.’’
It would be easy for Allen to hold a grudge against the Big Sky and the coaches from the 2003 season. As a senior, Allen led the nation in sacks with 17.5 and set the Big Sky single-season record for tackles for loss with 28. Idaho State finished 8-4, and Allen garnered First Team All-Conference honors. In a stunning surprise, he wasn’t named the Big Sky Defensive MVP. Montana State safety Kane Ioane took the honor.
“I laugh about that now,’’ Allen said. “I got the last laugh by winning the Buck Buchanan Award. Kane Ioane was a good player, but I felt I deserved that. Let me put it this way; I realize I wasn’t the most liked player in the Big Sky Conference. I was known to hit people late and (talk) some crap. The good Lord saw that the ship got righted, and I won the Buck Buchanan Award.’’
Weeks after not winning the defensive MVP, Allen became the first Big Sky player to capture the Buchanan, presented annually by The Sports Network to the top defensive player at the FCS/I-AA level.
“I’ve been blessed with phenomenal coaches,’’ Allen said. “Coach Lewis was my coach at Idaho State, and my defensive line coach was Mark Rhea. Mark Rhea is probably still one of the top three coaches that I’ve had. He gave me the foundation and the tools to go to the NFL.’’
Allen remains the Big Sky’s all-time leader in sacks with 38.5 and tackles for loss with 73. His No. 41 was retired and he was inducted into the Bengal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. He maintains a very strong friendship with Donna Hays, the Executive Director of the Bengal Athletic Boosters and Sports Clubs.
“She has been so great to me ever since I’ve been at Idaho State,’’ Allen said. “She’s someone I can trust. Donna is a special woman, a phenomenal woman. I know that when we donate money, it will go to the right place. She always has the best intentions. She truly does bleed black and orange for the Bengals. She’s been a dear friend of mine for years and years, and I cherish the relationship.’’
Of course Hays has been one of the first to question why Allen claims to be a graduate of “The Culinary Academy” and not Idaho State University when he plays Sunday nights on NBC.
“I only said that one time,’’ Allen said with a laugh. “They taped that back in training camp back in 2005 or 2006. We were bored, messing around so I said the Culinary Academy. It stuck, and they’ve been using that ever since. Donna always asked me why I don’t say Idaho State. If they tape it again, I’ll give Idaho State a big splash of love.’’
Yes, Jared Allen still enjoys life. He’s an avid hunter, but no longer sports the mullet hairstyle. He’s more likely to wear a cowboy hat, nice suite and cowboy boots, than the “Canadian Tuxedo” featuring jean shorts. He also remains a media darling with his candid and quirky interviews.
“I have a blast,’’ he said. “I tell people the further football gets on the priority list, the better I get at it. I’ve realized that football is what we do, but it’s not who we are. When you are constantly in that grind of trying to be the best every day, and that’s what you’re doing 24/7, you don’t get to sit back and realize and appreciate the smaller things. As my career gets closer and closer to an end, you start to appreciate the grind on the body, the jokes in the locker room, the mundane details.”
“It really does become all about winning,’’ he added. “When you are a younger player, you want to win games, but you are also trying to establish yourself, make a name for yourself. At the place I am now, it’s a lot easier to embrace the game of football, and to really just share that with my family, focus on my foundation, raising kids, all that good stuff.’’