Raul Allegre

Raúl Enrique Allegre Rodríguez (born June 15, 1959 in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico) is a former football placekicker in the National Football League. In his career he kicked for the Baltimore Colts, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and the New York Jets. Although he was not known for having a strong leg, he was a clutch kicker for the Giants from 1986–1989.

Biography

Allegre began playing football in 1977, while attending Shelton High School in Shelton, Washington. Although a soccer player, he had never played American football before his exchange student year at Shelton. SHS Head Coach, Jack Stark asked him to try kicking footballs one day before the season began. He had great distance but each ball went below the crossbar. Coach Stark asked him if he could kick it above the crossbar and Allegre remarked that he could, but thought it like a soccer goal and was aiming below. Allegre kicked all extra points, field goals and kicked off. He broke all the previous kicking records at SHS that season, and regularly kicked off into, and out of the end zone.^[1] Because Shelton's team did not get much exposure, Coach Stark filmed Raúl kicking from long distance after the season and sent the tape to the University of Montana, who offered Allegre a scholarship. He previously played soccer with Daron "Woody" Harris. Allegre later attended University of Texas at Austin, where he earned an undergraduate degree in civil engineering. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1983, but was traded the same year to the Baltimore Colts in exchange for a ninth round draft choice.^[2] At the end of the 1985 season, Allegre was selected for the Pro Bowl, but he was cut early the next season.^[3]

In 1986, after New York Giants' kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh was injured, the team began auditions to find a replacement. Allegre's audition was successful, kicking a 57-yard field goal that convinced Coach Bill Parcells to sign him. Because Allegre decided to call his agent before signing the contract, Parcells decided to cancel the deal, signing instead Joe Cooper. After three ineffective game performances by Cooper, Parcells called Allegre back. During the team's Super Bowl run in 1986, he kicked game-winning field goals in consecutive weeks in a crucial mid-season stretch.^[3] Allegre kicked the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XXI, with the announcer stating that "Raúl Allegre, will kick off, number 2" just before the game began. He did not however kick in Super Bowl XXV after being replaced by Matt Bahr in late September of the 1990 season.^[4]

In 1991, after kicking for the Giants in a Sunday night encounter against Washington Redskins, Allegre was released and signed by the New York Jets. In the season finale at Miami, Allegre tied the game in the waning moments and won the game and a playoff berth for the Jets in an overtime thriller. He lost the competition for the kicker's spot on the Jets roster in training camp before the 1992 season to Jason Staurovsky, and Allegre decided to retire due to a back injury.^[3]

During his nine seasons Allegre made 137 field goals in 186 attempts; he also scored 183 extra points for 594 points and any attempt blocked.

After retiring, Allegre planned to go back to the University of Texas to obtain a MBA degree. He was contacted by NFL Films, to participate in a Spanish-language show, oriented to test the Latin American market. Allegre was later offered a position for a Dallas Cowboys pre-game show, and later eventually leading to his current work as color commentator for Monday Night Football with Álvaro Martín for ESPN in Latin America. He also appears on NFL32 and contributes to other ESPN programs.^[3]

See also

• History of the New York Giants (1979–93)

References