Sports
Larry Allen’s daughter in shock after Cowboys legend dies on family vacation: ‘Nightmare’
Jayla Allen, the daughter of Cowboys Hall of Famer Larry Allen, was “in complete shock” after her father died unexpectedly Sunday while on a family trip in Mexico, she wrote in an Instagram post Monday.
Larry Allen was 52 years old, and the cause of death has yet to be revealed.
“I don’t know how to write this message and what to say,” Jayla Allen wrote on Instagram, while sharing various photos with her father — including one seemingly from a Cowboys game and one with his gold Hall of Fame jacket — from different stages of her life. “I am in complete shock. I feel like this is a nightmare and I can’t wait up. Every night I would pray to keep you safe. This doesn’t feel real dad. I am heart broken and don’t know where to go from this.”
It’s unclear if she was on vacation with the family in Mexico when her father died.
Larry Allen made 11 Pro Bowls with the Cowboys — where he spent all but two seasons of his 14-year NFL career after getting drafted in the second round from Sonoma State — and played guard on an offensive line that blocked for Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith.
Smith tried to avoid tearing up while remembering Allen in an Instagram video Monday.
“Such a good dude,” Smith said in the video. “Great player. Super person … It just breaks my heart. I know life is very fragile and we’re only here for a moment. We need to make the best out of every moment and not take people for granted.”
Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman also addressed Allen’s death in a post on X.
“Just received the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved teammate Larry Allen,” Aikman wrote. “He was a HOF offensive lineman that dominated opponents regardless of the position played. Off the field, he was a gentle giant that loved his family. Rest in Peace LA💔🙏🏼.”
Allen was drafted by the Cowboys following their second consecutive Super Bowl, and together the trio were part of the group that made the NFC Championship Game again the following season.
Then, in 1995, Dallas defeated the Steelers behind Smith’s pair of rushing touchdowns for their latest title.
Allen had three children, including Jayla, and was also survived by his wife, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
“I was blessed with the best father who loved me unconditionally,” Jayla Allen continued in her Instagram post. “You would do anything for our family and I am forever grateful. I feel completely broken and don’t know where to go from here. The pain of loosing you will stay with me forever.. You were my best friend and twin. People always said we were so much a like and that always made me smile.”
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