Professional Football lost another great one.

Hall of Fame Guard Larry Allen passed away today at 52.  He was vacationing with his family in Mexico at the time.

Drafted in the second round in 1994, Allen earned a starting job on the Dallas offensive line and helped them win Super Bowl XXX, and would later become their best lineman, earning six consecutive First Team All-Pros (1996-2001) and 10 Pro Bowls as a Cowboy.  He added an eleventh in 2006, in his first of two years with San Francisco.

Allen entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 in his first year of eligibility. 

We at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to Larry Allen's fans, family, and friends.

Undrafted from Colgate, Eugene Robinson had one of the longest careers of any Defensive Back.

Signing with the Seattle Seahawks, Robinson made the squad as a rookie and would become a starter at Free Safety, a position he held until the millennium.  Robinson was a dominant ballhawk, recording 57 Interceptions, including a league-leading nine in 1993.  He was also one of the better tacklers of his time, recording 1,413 in total with four seasons exceeding 100.

Robinson made his first Pro Bowl in 1992, his second in 1993, and there were other years when he could have easily been considered. After 11 years with the Seahawks, Robinson signed with the contending Green Bay Packers and helped them win Super Bowl XXXI. He intercepted John Elway in Green Bay’s Super Bowl XXXII loss to Denver. 

The Safety then signed with Atlanta, where his veteran leadership and outstanding defense helped the Falcons make the Super Bowl, meaning Robinson went to three straight games and faced Denver a second time.  Robinson had a horrible performance, allowing an 80-yard Touchdown by Rod Smith and missing a tackle on Terrell Davis that led to a long gain.  Robinson was arrested the night before for solicitation, which was especially ironic as he won the Bart Starr Award for outstanding character and leadership.

Robinson played another year in Atlanta but never earned the forgiveness of a large segment of the Falcons fanbase. He had one final year in Carolina before hanging it up, and we wish he were more known for his great games than Super Bowl XXXIII. 

Ed White was a consensus All-American at the University of California and split his 17-year professional career in the NFL between the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers.

White was part of several successful Vikings teams that made multiple Super Bowl runs, and he played a major role in protecting Fran Tarkenton and other offensive weapons.  The Guard was traded to San Diego, helped protect another Hall of Fame quarterback, Dan Fouts, and earned four Pro Bowl selections.

White played in 241 Games, and is one of the most tenured Offensive Lineman in NFL history.

One of Football’s great Nose Tackles, Fred Smerlas began his pro career with the Buffalo Bills after he was chosen in the Second Round of the 1979 Draft.

The Boston College product was an instant defensive star for the Bills, and his blue-collar look and style fit perfectly with Western New York's rust-belt fans.  Smerlas was a punishing interior defender and went to four straight Pro Bowls (1980-83), which coincided with the Bills going from playoff contenders to cellar dwellers.   As the Bills rebuilt through the rest of the 1980s, Smerlas was the constant, still there when the team became eventual Super Bowl contenders, though he wasn’t there when they finally reached one, as He played his last game in Buffalo in 1989.  He finished his career as a veteran depth player with a year in San Francisco and two in New England.

Smerlas was named to the Bills Wall of Fame, and those who saw him play forever remembered his tenacity and leadership.