DALLAS — Larry Allen, the legendary Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl and dominated his position for a decade, has died at the age of 52, the team announced in a statement Monday morning.
The Cowboys statement said Allen died suddenly while on vacation in Mexico on Sunday.
More details about Allen's death were not immediately disclosed by team officials.
Allen, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, was a cornerstone of the Cowboys' offensive line from 1994-2005, before finishing his career with the San Francisco 49ers from 2006-2007. The Cowboys drafted Allen in the 2nd round of the 1994 NFL Draft out of Sonoma State in California.
Allen helped the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory in 1995, their third of the 90s but his first with the team. Allen then put together a six-year run of earning first-team All-Pro honors from 1996-2001.
Allen also made 11 Pro Bowl teams during his career and was named to both the Hall of Fame's All-1990s and All-2000s teams.
"Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL," the Cowboys statement said. "His versatility and dependability were also signature parts of his career. Through that, he continued to serve as inspiration for many other players, defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner."
Allen was married to his wife, Janelle, and they had two daughters, Jayla and Loriana, and a son, Larry III.
"The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry," the Cowboys statement said.
Super Bowl champion defensive lineman Russell Maryland lined up opposite Allen for two seasons in Dallas.
"He was a real man, in every sense of the word," Maryland told WFAA Monday. "He was a real man that made me a better person and made me a better player. He made a lot of people get their game up."
Maryland noted that Allen overcame a violent childhood in Compton. When he was 10 years old, Allen was stabbed in the head while protecting his younger brother from a neighborhood bully.
"Any time you talk about somebody like that, the first term that comes to your mind is 'gentle giant,' which he was," Maryland said. "He was just a nice guy who didn't take advantage of anybody. He wasn't a dirty player. He was just a nice guy."
Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who alongside Emmitt Smith and Michael Irving were teammates with Allen, posted on X that he "received the heartbreaking news" about Allen's death Monday morning.
"He was a HOF offensive lineman that dominated opponents regardless of the position he played," Aikman said. "Off the field, he was a gentle giant that loved his family. Rest in Peace LA."