The news of the death of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Allen caught the football world by surprise on Monday.
The Dallas Cowboys, the team Allen played 12 of his 14 NFL seasons with from 1994 to 2005 before finishing up with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 and 2007, announced that he died "suddenly" on Sunday while on a family vacation in Mexico. He was 52 years old.
The 2013 first-ballot Hall of Famer's passing caught many of his former teammates and other Dallas Cowboys by surprise on Monday, and they took to social media to share their thoughts on the beloved offensive lineman.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, Allen's teammate of seven seasons from 1994-2000, called Allen "a gentle giant that loved his family" on top of being a dominant offensive lineman.
Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, posted a nearly four-minute video on Instagram to discuss his former offensive lineman's death. Smith was working through tears for the entirety of the video. He said Allen's passing "just breaks his heart."
"I'm at a loss of words right now. Such a good dude, great player, super person," Smith said. ... "The one thing about Larry Allen, I know. He had a big heart and he lived life to the fullest. A man of very few words but on the football field was a beast. And [he] will be sorely missed."
Marcus Spears, a retired nine-year NFL defensive lineman who spent his first eight years with the Cowboys from 2005-2012 before concluding his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, overlapped with Allen for one season in 2005 after Dallas selected him 20th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.
He said, "Not the big homie 'LA' man, RIP OG! Glad I laced 'em up with you."
Current Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, drafted 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, expressed his sadness about not being able to meet Allen prior to his death.