Jared Allen wore a cowboy hat for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction Saturday, a nod to his celebratory calf-roping act after each sack. His bust, alas, was hatless.
Allen grew up on a horse ranch in Northern California and, when he was 8, Allen told his father, Ron Allen, of his dream to play in the NFL. He did just that for 12 seasons with the Chiefs (2004-07), Vikings (2008-13), Bears (2014-15) and Panthers (2015).
Allen, 43, retired with 136 career sacks and four first-team All-Pro selections.
Among those Allen thanked were his parents and his stepdad in his almost 14-minute speech. He told his father, who was his presenter, that “your constant belief in me gave me the confidence in myself to achieve greatness.”
Allen, a PR and marketing major in college, centered his speech around the concept of “selling your ‘why.'”
“People always ask: How did you get here?” Allen said. “Why was I better than others? . . . ‘Why’ is what makes you different. It’s your long game. It’s what drives you to get up to do all necessary action steps to achieve your goal. My ‘why’ can be summed up in three things — fear, respect and the pursuit of greatness.
“Fear: I’m not taking about the type of fear that cripples you and makes you avoid something. I’m talking about that healthy fear of failure that motivates you to do whatever you can to succeed. The type of fear that lets you get knocked down and the realize you don’t want to get knocked down again so you learn and improve. Respect: I always played this game for the respect of my peers and those who came before me. Pursuit of greatness: When you respect something or someone so much you want to honor that thing or person by being the best you can possibly be. That’s why I had the NFL sack leaders taped up in my locker, so I could see what greatness was everyday and never feel like I had arrived. I apply my ‘why’ to everything in my life.”
Allen ended his speech imploring everyone to find his or her “why.”
“Find your why,” Allen said. “Dream big dreams and always pursue greatness in whatever you do.”