Top 19 Quotes & Sayings by Marcus Allen

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American athlete Marcus Allen.

Last updated on April 14, 2025.

Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football running back, analyst and actor who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in NFL history, he was selected 10th overall by the Raiders in the 1982 NFL Draft, following a successful college football career at USC. He was a member of the Raiders for 11 seasons and spent his last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

American - Athlete | Born: March 26, 1960

Source: Wikipedia

I just felt like reflecting on my junior year, when I didn't know what I was doing, I left a lot of stuff out there. Actually, I gained close to 700 yards more and I took myself out of a lot of games.

Marcus Allen

I just think that we're capable of so much more; we don't utilize all our capacity like we should.

Marcus Allen

You know, I think when I reflect on it, I think there's certainly a sense of history. When you have ambitions to play this game, you want to be one of the best ever, and you want to play so well and be so effective that you want people to remember your name 100 years from now.

Marcus Allen

Even as voters, we try to keep up with the guys as much as possible, mainly through television or ESPN.

Marcus Allen

That's why, to experience that, you know for a fact that a human being is capable of so much more, because to go to that place and to step outside yourself and observe yourself do these things, while the rest of the world is moving in slow motion, is really incredible.

Marcus Allen

At USC, if you're running back there, and you do gain you over 1,500 yards, people see you as a candidate, but not one of the top ones.

Marcus Allen

I was saying earlier that it's really strange - you can almost step outside yourself and observe yourself running, and that's what I was doing.

Marcus Allen

But there is something to the fact that we don't see games on the West Coast, or we don't see games on the East Coast, and stuff like that. It's so unfair, because there is a bias that takes place.

Marcus Allen

But Barry, to me, is head and shoulders above everybody.

Marcus Allen

It really lasted the whole game, because I was really untouchable, unstoppable that game. But it was heightened on one particular play, and that was the longest run where everything completely slowed down. My awareness was so keen, it was so heightened, it was really amazing.

Marcus Allen

It actually took me a year to learn how to play running back - to understand what they were doing defensively and then what our guys were doing every single play.

Marcus Allen

To be a winner of that, and to fall in the long line of traditional great backs at USC, to have your name in perpetuity, the fact that your parents are like icons... that's the greatest thing.

Marcus Allen

It's always hard - if you're not the best player on your team, how can you be the best player in college?

Marcus Allen

Going in, I knew I wasn't one of the top ones, because I didn't even make the pre-season All-American team. That shows you what people thought of me right there, so I knew I had to go to work.

Marcus Allen

You've got to be extremely careful, because you could be with a great team, and you could be the product of a great team. There are some players that stand out despite the teams that they play on, and there are some players that are good because of the team that they're with.

Marcus Allen

Love yourself. Respect yourself. Never sell yourself short. Believe in yourself regardless of what people think. You can accomplish anything, absolutely anything, if you set your mind to it.

Marcus Allen

It´s time we saw sex as the truly sacred art that it is. A deep meditation, a holy communion and a dance with the force of creation.

Marcus Allen

There are two types of players: those who know and those who don’t. The smartest ones usually play the longest and [are] usually the most successful.

Marcus Allen