Terry Allen is the first admit that he’s far from the most talented running back ever to play the game.
“When I got to Clemson, there were guys who were more talented to me,” Allen said. “And when I got to the NFL, there were guys who were more talented than me.”
But few who were tougher, and perhaps that mettle more so than anything is what has landed Allen among the five football legends who will be inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame (SCFHOF) on Thursday evening in Greenville.
The enshrinement ceremony is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Hotel Hartness.
Allen credits Danny Ford, his former coach at Clemson and a member of the inaugural SCFHOF Class of 2013, for honing his toughness.
“I found out a lot about myself playing for Coach Ford because you had to be both mentally and physically tough to play for him,” said Allen, who will become the 13th former Clemson player to be inducted. “He was demanding. He expected you to play hard, to fight for every blade of grass, fight for every inch that you could get when you had the ball. That’s what he expected and that’s what I tried to do.”
More often than not, Allen succeeded.
He had multiple offers coming out of Banks County High School in Homer, Georgia, but cast his lot with the Tigers with hopes of remaining a running back.
“Georgia wanted me to be a defensive back, and that just wasn’t in the cards for me,” Allen said. “I wanted to run the ball.”
Run he did.
By the time he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 1990 NFL Draft, Allen had rushed for 2,778 yards – the second-highest total in program history – and helped the Tigers to three consecutive 10-2 seasons and three straight bowl victories.
“We had a lot of good guys,” Allen said. “When you’ve got good guys and guys who work hard and will fight for one another, you’re going to have good teams.”
Allen was picked by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st pick of the ninth round, 241st overall. He played behind recently acquired Hershel Walker in his rookie season before posting 1,000-yard seasons in 1992 and 1993. After being dealt to the Washington Redskins, Allen rushed for 1,309 yards in 1995 and followed that up with 1,353 yards and a league-leading 21 touchdowns in 1996.
He went on to play five more seasons, including stints with the Patriots, Saints and Ravens, before retiring having amassed 8,614 career rushing yards – more than any other Clemson player in the NFL.
Allen returned to Clemson several years ago, serving as a student assistant coach for a couple of seasons while completing requirements for his degree in management courtesy of the Tiger Trust program. Earning his diploma fulfilled a promise he’d made to his mother a couple of decades earlier.
Now 56, Allen has come full circle. He’s back at Banks County High, working as a “graduation coach” as well as coaching the football team’s running backs.
“I’m just trying to give back to these kids and let them know that they can make it,” Allen said. “Sometimes for a kid to want to do something in life, they have to be able to see the dream and talk to the dream and see that it’s actually a reality.”
That reality is Allen.
“I work with the seniors as they’re getting ready to graduate, try to make sure that they stay on track to get their stuff done,” Allen said. “And I talk to them about things that they want to do afterwards and help them figure out a path.”
Much like a kid with big dreams in the little town of Homer, Georgia, some 40 years ago.
NINTH-ROUND STEAL:Why Clemson football's Terry Allen is an inspiration to all NFL Draft late-round picks
S.C. Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2023
- Terry Allen: Commerce, Ga., Clemson University
- Ben Coates: Greenwood, Livingstone College
- Harold Green Jr.: Ladson, University of South Carolina
- Stump Mitchell: Kingsland, Georgia, The Citadel
- Jimmy Satterfield: Lancaster, Furman University (coach)
2023 Humanitarian of the Year: Brian Mance, Clemson
2023 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy: Xavier Legette, South Carolina
2024 Bridge Builder Excellence Award finalists: Ethan Anderson, J.L. Mann (Clemson); Kalvin Banks, Eastside (Fayetteville State); Jacob Cotterill, Summerville (West Point); Zion Dobson, Hampton County (NC Central); Jayden Fuller, Silver Bluff (Miami, Ohio); Johnny Jaraczewski, St. Joseph’s (Wofford); Steven O’Dell, Broome (Furman); Drew Spires, Richard Winn Academy (The Citadel); Josiah Thompson, Dillon (South Carolina); Watson Young, Daniel (Clemson).
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him atskeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer