Hall of Famer Mike Haynes on Marcus Allen's Super Bowl run: 'Something you couldn't believe'
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Raiders legendary cornerback Mike Haynes recalls arguably the greatest run in Super Bowl history as if it were yesterday.
It came from fellow Hall of Famer and teammate Marcus Allen.
In Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Redskins, Allen, who carried the football 20 times for a then-record of 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns, became the third Heisman Trophy winner to be named Super Bowl MVP. He also had a then-record 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which Haynes says ‘was something he couldn’t believe.’
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“The thing that stands out for me is his conditioning,” Haynes told Fox News on Wednesday. “In that Super Bowl, people don’t even realize that one run, when he started to the left, and he turned around and goes to the right, then he goes up the middle and scores a touchdown. Our bench emptied after that run, and we walked out to the field, and he wasn’t even breathing hard. We couldn’t believe it. I’m like, ‘Wow.’ He was just a phenomenal athlete. A guy who loved the game, and still loves the game.”
Haynes says that he is still good friends with Allen to this day.
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“When he was in college, my mom called me and said, ‘Hey, do you know the boy at USC? I know his dad, we grew up together.’ And I said, ‘What’s his name?’ And she said, ‘Marcus Allen.’ But it didn’t mean anything to me,” Haynes recalled. “But when I got traded to the Raiders, my mom said, ‘Remember that boy I was telling you about? What’s he like?’ And I go, ‘What do you mean?’ and she goes, ‘Marcus Allen.’ And I go, ‘Oh wow. That’s Marcus Allen.’ And we became good friends because his dad and my mom grew up together.”
Haynes, the No. 5 draft pick in the 1976 NFL Draft, began his career with the New England Patriots. After joining the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983, Haynes and fellow teammate Lester Hayes were considered one of the best cornerback duos in the history of the NFL en route to the Super Bowl title.
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Haynes was a nine-time Pro Bowler and an eight-time All-Pro cornerback.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. By many NFL experts, Haynes is regarded as one of the best overall cornerbacks in league history.