Will Allen

Allen with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012
No. 26, 20, 37
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1982-06-17)June 17, 1982 (age 42) Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:	Huber Heights (OH) Wayne
College:	Ohio State
NFL draft:	2004: 4th round, 111th pick
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004−2009) Pittsburgh Steelers (2010−2012) Dallas Cowboys (2013) Pittsburgh Steelers (2013−2015)
Career highlights and awards
BCS national champion (2002) ConsensusAll-American (2003) First-teamAll-Big Ten (2003)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 416 Sacks: 4.0 Forced fumbles: 7 Fumble recoveries: 6 Interceptions: 7 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Stats atPro Football Reference

Will Allen (born June 17, 1982) is an American former professionalfootballsafety. Allen playedcollege football forOhio State University, and was selected for theAll-American team. He was selected in the fourth round of the2004 NFL draft by theTampa Bay Buccaneers and also played for theDallas Cowboys andPittsburgh Steelers.

Allen was born inDayton, Ohio. He attendedWayne High School inHuber Heights, Ohio, and playedhigh school football for the Wayne Warriors. He was a member of Wayne High School's 1999 Division I State Runner-Up team, along with fellow Ohio State recruit John Hollins. His high school jersey number, #4, is the only number that has been officiallyretired by Wayne High School. Allen was named all-Ohio Division I first team by theAssociated Press for his senior season. He was rated as the 4thdefensive back prospect and the 27th overall prospect in theMidwest bySuper Prep, and rated as the 53rd defensive back prospect in the country by Rivals100.com.

Allen received anathletic scholarship to attendOhio State University, where he was a four-yearletterman for coachJim Tressel'sOhio State Buckeyes football team from 2000 to 2003. As a senior in 2003, he was a first-teamAll-American selection by consensus. In his first three seasons at Ohio State, he played behind three-time All-AmericanMike Doss, primarily innickel coverage on passing downs.

Allen is remembered among college football fans for two plays made during the 2002BCS National Championship season. The first occurred during the 2002Ohio State-Michigan game, when he intercepted a pass fromMichiganquarterbackJohn Navarre during the closing seconds to preserve the 14–9 victory and an undefeated regularseason. The second play was one game later in the2003 Fiesta Bowl for thenational championship game. In the second half, Allen tackledMiamirunning backWillis McGahee and delivered a shoulder blow to his left knee. McGahee had to be helped off the field; he sufferedligament damage and was forced to miss his entirerookie year in theNational Football League.

Allen played in every game in hisrookie year onspecial teams but saw increasing time as asafety in the final weeks of the season. He made his first NFLinterception against theCarolina Panthers and his firsttouchdown in week 6 of the following season against theMiami Dolphins. Hestarted eight games in 2005, playing both free safety and strong safety due to injuries toJermaine Phillips andDexter Jackson.

Allen's most noted contribution in his NFL career occurred against theGreen Bay Packers in 2005, when he intercepted Packers quarterbackBrett Favre twice in the fourth quarter. Buccaneers starting safety,Dexter Jackson, had been injured midway through the second quarter with ahamstring strain, and Allen came into the game as asubstitute. Allen was the Buccaneers' special teams captain in 2008. He was the first alternate for theNational Football League Special Teams for the2009 Pro Bowl. He was re-signed to a 1-year $2.35 million contract on February 28, 2009.

On March 8, 2010, Allen signed with thePittsburgh Steelers. On November 9, 2012, Allen was fined $7,875 for a late hit againstNew York Giants receiverVictor Cruz in Week 9.^[2]

On March 27, 2013, Allen signed a one-year, $840,000 contract with theDallas Cowboys. The deal included a $65,000signing bonus.^[3] He was released on October 8, 2013.

Allen returned to the Steelers in October 2013. He signed a 1-year $1,020,000 contract, then another $1,050,000 contract with the Steelers the following year.^[4]

The Will Allen Foundation was created in May 2008 with the goal to inspire youth in under-resourced communities to succeed by providing necessary tools.^[5] It mainly operates in Dayton, Ohio;Tampa, Florida^{[citation needed]}; andPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. Thefoundation's Quest for Real Life Success program aims to provide students with real life experience and expose them to new opportunities.^[6][7]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWill Allen (safety).

• Steelers player page (archived)
• NFL player page

• 1982 births
• Living people
• All-American college football players
• American football safeties
• Dallas Cowboys players
• Ohio State Buckeyes football players
• People from Huber Heights, Ohio
• Pittsburgh Steelers players
• Players of American football from Dayton, Ohio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers players

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