No. 1: 49ers Guard Larry Allen
Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen will probably be best known for his time with the Dallas Cowboys. In his 12 seasons with the Cowboys, Allen was selected to 10 Pro Bowls, named All-Pro six times and won one Super Bowl.
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Allen entered the league as the second-round (46th overall) selection of the Cowboys in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Sonoma State. He moved around the offensive line quite a bit playing at both tackle and both guard spots. But he really found a home at left guard.
From 1994 to 2001, Allen helped Cowboys’ running back Emmitt Smith to eight straight 1,000 plus yard rushing seasons, including a 1,773-yard performance in 1995 which led the league. In 2002 Smith failed to hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time since his rookie season, falling just short at 975 yards.
It was no coincidence Allen only appeared in five games due to injury that season. Returning from injury in 2003, he would go onto play three more Pro Bowl-level seasons with the Cowboys.
In 2006 Allen signed a two-year deal with the 49ers. In his first year there he would help running back Frank Gore have a breakout sophomore season, rushing for 1,695 yards and eight touchdowns.
Both Allen and Gore would earn Pro Bowl selections that season.
Allen played all 16 regular-season games in 2007 and would end up retiring after the season. In 2013 he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his stellar career.