Football Nfl: hurdler Allen signs with the Philadelphia Eagles

The last jump, in chronological order. Backwards. The hurdler Devon Allen, returning from a fifth and a fourth place in the 110hs at the last two Olympics, returns to his first love, football, signing a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 27-year-old hasn’t worn a helmet in three years when he left the University of Oregon team to pursue athletics full-time.

But in the last “pro day” of the Ducks, a showcase of university talents for the eyes of the pro scouts in view of the draft on April 28, Allen showed himself running the 40 yards (standard distance of measurement in the NFL) in 4 “35, a tempone, not surprising given the background. The Eagles decided to sign him.

first the world cup

–

His career with the oval ball in Oregon hadn’t taken off due to a couple of knee injuries that limited him to just 9 games in the past two seasons. He fared much better on the track, where he graduated three times national champion in the 110hs.

Before returning to football, however, Allen intends to compete in the US championships next June and the World Athletics Championships to be held from July 15 to 24 in Eugene, home to the University of Oregon, the historic home of the stars and stripes track and field: “For now, football takes a back seat, from now to July my attention will be totally dedicated to obstacles. I want to win gold, beat the world record and then, from July 18, I will only think about the training camp with the Eagles” he Allen told “The Oregonian”.

previous

–

Allen is certainly not the first to make the leap from athletics to NFL football. The most famous was the legendary Bob “Bullet” Hayes, gold in the 100 and 4×100 at the Tokyo ’64 Games, then champion with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI. He ended his career with 71 touchdowns on reception and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.

In the 80s it was the turn of Willie Gault, gold with the USA at the World Championships in Helsinki ’83 with the 4×100 (with Emmit King, Calvin Smith and Carl Lewis) who established the world record in 37 “86, then chosen with the number 18 from the Chicago Bears to the draft ’83. The receiver won Super Bowl number 20 in January ’86 in what is considered one of the strongest teams of all time, especially for the famous “46 Defense”. Not happy, Gault also touched the call-up to the Calgary ’88 Winter Olympics with the US 4-man bobsleigh team.

Ten years in the Raiders instead for James Jett, also gold in the 4x100m at the Seoul Games ’88. Another relay runner then in the NFL was Ron Brown, gold in Los Angeles ’84, where he came one step from the podium in the 100 meters behind Lewis, Sam Graddy (two years for the Broncos and two for the Raiders for him too) and Canadian Ben Johnson . He then played for 7 years with the Rams, ending his career with the Raiders and earning a call-up to the Pro Bowl (the NFL’s All Star Game). The list is long and is not only composed of receivers but also includes discus throwers like Michael Carter, three times at the Pro Bowl with the Niners, long-time players like Bo Robertson (silver in Rome ’60, then in AFL with Chargers, Raiders, Bills and Dolphins), or legendary decathlete Jim Thorpe, one of the founding fathers of the NFL.