Devon Allen didn’t have a blistering run — per the standards he set for himself — at the United States Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Regardless, Allen was good enough to qualify for the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon next month.
Allen finished third in the 110-meter hurdles, running a time of 13.09 seconds. The time wasn’t as fast as the 12.84-second clip earlier this month — which was the third-fastest in history. Even with all of Allen’s success on the track this summer, the rookie wide receiver still is making football with the Philadelphia Eagles his No. 1 priority.
“I just like to play football,” Allen said, via the New York Times. “If I didn’t have any knee injuries in college, I probably would have been in the NFL for five years by now. I probably would have just gone the draft route and found out what I could do in the off-season with track.”
Allen signed a three-year contract with the Eagles in April after running a 4.35 40-yard dash at Oregon’s Pro Day. That was enough for the Eagles to give the 27-year-old wide receiver a good look this summer.
Why did Allen take so long to give football a shot? He suffered two ACL injuries in his career at Oregon, the first in the left knee at the 2015 College Football Playoff. He returned for his senior season at Oregon and tore the ACL in his right knee in 2016, not having played a football game since (signed a professional track and field contract in 2016).
In between the ACL tears, Allen finished fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 110-meter hurdles. He’s a three-time national champion in the 110-meter hurdles (2014, 2016, 2018) and a two-time Olympian in the event. Allen finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2020 Beijing Olympics last summer.
Allen’s highest finish at the world championships is seventh (2019). While he’s looking to improve that position this time around, amking the Eagles will be just as huge as capturing a medal.
“Since I was a little kid, I wanted to play in the NFL,” Allen said. “And I got my opportunity.”
