Eagles fans will finally get to see Devon Allen in action - at Penn Relays originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
He never got into a regular-season game last year, but Eagles fans will finally get to see speedy Devon Allen in action in Philly.
The Penn Relays announced Tuesday that Allen, a two-time Olympic hurdler and Eagles practice squad receiver, will return to Franklin Field and race in the high hurdles at the 128th running of the Penn Relays.
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Although the official time schedule hasn’t been released yet, the Olympic Development 110-meter hurdles is expected to be held at some point in the 2 p.m. hour on April 29 at Franklin Field, the Eagles’ home stadium from 1958 through 1970 and site of their 1960 NFL Championship win over Vince Lombardi’s Packers.
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After his disputed false start at the World Championships in Eugene, Allen put his track career on hold to try out for the Eagles and after a slow start to training camp he was impressive enough to earn a spot on the practice squad, where he remained all year.
But he said in December that despite his return to football after a six-year hiatus, his track goals hadn’t changed.
“The goal is the same that I’ve had every year – to run fast, break the world record and win all the races I run in,” he said. “But I also want to play in the NFL for a few years, so we’ll see.”
Allen, 28, never ran at Penn in college because Oregon didn’t attend the meet, but he did race at Penn last April and won the highs with a meet-record 13.11. The previous mark was 13.29 set by another football-track participant – Renaldo Nehemiah in 1979. Skeets, the former world record holder from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High in North Jersey, spent the 1982 through 1984 seasons with the 49ers.
With his 12.84 in New York in June, Allen moved into the No. 3 spot on the all-time world list, only 4-100ths of a second off the world record of 12.80 set by American Aries Merritt in 2012 at Boudewijnstadion in Brussels, Belgium.
The Eagles signed Allen to a futures contract after the season ended, retaining his rights and giving him a chance to compete for a roster spot this summer at training camp. With Quez Watkins coming off a disappointing season and Zach Pascal now an Arizona Cardinal, he should get that opportunity.
Allen placed 5th in the hurdles in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 13.31 and 4th in the 2021 Games in Tokyo in 13.14. He won U.S. championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
