Analysis: Vikings great Jared Allen lets tears flow as he enters Hall of Fame

CANTON, OHIO – Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was telling the Minnesota Star Tribune on Thursday how he probably wouldn’t cry during Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech because, “My wife and daughters tell me I might be the least emotional person on the planet.”

Think again, Jared. Think again.

In a moving and well-crafted 14-minute speech inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, one of the fiercest pass rushers in NFL history was typically funny, inspirational, appreciative of those who helped him along the way and … a puddle of tears once he reached the final two minutes and turned his attention to his wife, Amy, and their two young daughters, Brinley and Lakelyn.

Right before that, Allen spoke about his father, Ron, “my biggest fan,” who was his presenter on Saturday.

“You never let circumstances affect your joy,” Allen said. “You were a constant example of hard work, top-level work ethic and, most importantly, your consistent belief in me gave me the confidence to be great.”

There was a pause as Allen took a deep breath and let everyone know his eyes were still dry.

“A tear hadn’t come down,” he said. “So anybody betting out there [that he’d cry], it hadn’t come yet.”

“He said, ‘The two most important decisions you’ll make in life are, one, whether you follow Jesus or not; and, two, who you marry,’ ” Allen said. “There are only two types of people. There’s boat anchors who drag you down and there’s people who elevate you. And you are a true elevator.

“You’re one of the smartest people I know. I am in awe of you every single day. I love you more than life itself.”

With a minute to go, the allegedly unemotional Allen let it all go in a father-of-the-century address to his daughters.

“Through this process, my legacy has been talked about a lot,” Allen said. “The Hall has me here to tell my story. I’m here to tell you two that you are my greatest accomplishments.

“When I get to heaven one day and all they talk about is this gold jacket, my career, then I’ve failed miserably as a father, a husband. You two are my legacy. You both are so talented. I cannot wait to see what is inside of you and what you got for this world.”

“Jared’s NFL bio read that he wouldn’t be big enough, strong enough or fast enough to play in the NFL,” Ron says in the video.

Then he laughs. The kind of laugh that says his son was four-time first-team All-Pro, including three with the Vikings, and ranks 12th on the NFL’s career sack list with 136. Not bad for a fourth-round draft pick from Division I-AA Idaho State.

“When you tell Jared he can’t do something,” Ron continued, “he’s going to prove you wrong by any means, shape or form.”

Out of more than 30,000 people to play in the NFL over 105 seasons, Allen is one of only 382 now in the Hall of Fame and one of only four in this year’s class, the smallest in 20 years. Allen enters the Hall along with cornerback Eric Allen, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

After Ron’s video, he and Jared unveiled Allen’s bronze bust, full mullet and all. Jared wore a white cowboy hat and jeans, which appeared to be sturdier than the pants he split while doing his famous calf-roping celebration on stage in front of the cameras after receiving his gold jacket during Friday night’s Gold Jacket ceremony. Ron wore a black cowboy hat.

“I bet people are wondering why a guy who dropped out of college twice is talking about his major,” Allen joked. “In marketing and branding, there’s a concept that says, ‘Sell your why?’

“There are a million ‘whats’ in this world. It’s the ‘why’ that makes you different. The why is your long game. It’s what drives you to get up and take whatever steps necessary to achieve your goal.”

Allen’s why? Three things, he said: Fear, respect and pursuit of greatness.

Not crippling fear, he said, but, “That healthy fear of failure that motivates you to do everything you can to succeed. That type of fear that lets you get knocked down and then realize you don’t want to get knocked down again so you pick yourself up, you learn and you improve.”

Respect?

Pursuit of greatness?

“When you respect some thing or someone so much that you want to honor that thing or that person by being the best you can possibly be,” Allen said. “That’s why I had the NFL sack leaders taped up in my locker every season so I could show up to work and physically see greatness and never allow myself to feel I’d arrived.”

Allen thanked his coaches, the fans, the four teams he played with and his teammates.

“I literally could speak for hours about my teammates,” he said. “I won’t. I won’t. I learned from Brett [Favre],” whose speech nine years ago was famously long.

One of the teammates Allen mentioned with a plug to the Hall’s 50-member selection committee was Vikings five-time All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams, who has never even made it to the semifinals of the selection process.

Vikings fans enjoyed when Allen said he wanted to thank the Bears but then paused as if he had nothing good to say about his brief time in Chicago.

“And, of course, the Vikings,” Allen said. “As a Norseman by blood, as I’m Norwegian, it was only fitting that I became a Viking.”

He singled out coaches and front office personnel and the Wilf ownership family.

“I don’t think I can ever express the depths of my gratitude to the entire organization,” said Allen, who came to the Vikings via a blockbuster trade that also made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history in 2008.

“I’m a firm believer that God puts people in your life at the appropriate times. What you did for the growth of my career, but more importantly the people that you surrounded me with in that organization helped me grow as a man. I will forever call the Vikings my home.”