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Eric Allen to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Eric Allen HOF_2560x1440

Another Raider will soon be donning a gold jacket.

Former Raiders defensive back Eric Allen has been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025.

Originally the Eagles' second-round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, Allen joined the Raiders after seven years with the Eagles and three with the Saints. Over four seasons with the team, he appeared in 58 games with 56 starts in the Silver and Black and picked off 15 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns as he helped the Raiders win the AFC West in 2000 and 2001.

A six-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, Allen accumulated 54 interceptions over the course of his 14-year NFL career.

"I went up against him in practice every day when we were teammates in Oakland," Rich Gannon said. "I watched him cover Tim Brown and Jerry Rice in practice. We had Eric on one side and Charles Woodson on the other. I have a pretty unique perspective on who he was and how good he was. He was the best I've ever played with or against at disguising his intentions. He would show you press when he was playing down. He would play off five yards, then come up and jam you."

Allen is the only player in NFL history with two seasons of at least three interception returns for touchdowns. His single-season league record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns (four in1993) stood for 30 years.

"In my third year in Oakland, Eric intercepted six passes," Charles Woodson recalled. "Three of them were pick-sixes. He was 35 years old at the time. At that age, you might not have the speed or the natural skills that you had when you were 23-24 years old. But the great players gain knowledge and experience over the years and use that to their advantage later in their careers.

"Eric was a student of the game. For him to make those kinds of plays in his mid-30s, that shows you what a Hall of Famer looks like."

Allen and the rest of the Class of 2025 will be enshrined in Canton during Enshrinement Week in August.

Take a look at some of the top photos from defensive back Eric Allen's Hall of Fame career as a Raider.

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