The U-T San Diego is currently in the midst of unveiling it's list of San Diego's most influential sports figures, The 52.
USC football legend Marcus Allen had several highlights in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium while playing against the Chargers for AFC West foes the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. In his 15 years in the NFL, Allen scored 23 of his 123 career touchdowns against San Diego (most against any opponent).
In his first NFL game at San Diego, Allen had 166 yards rushing and receiving, scoring two touchdowns in a 41-34 Oakland win. In his first game at Qualcomm in a Kansas City uniform, the Hall of Famer had both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Yet, it was a performance long before either of those contests that got Marcus Allen on the U-T San Diego's most influential sports figure list. He made the newspaper's list for his unforgettable performance at Qualcomm Stadium in the 1977 San Diego Section 2A championship game as a high school senior at Lincoln High.
It still ranks as the greatest high school championship performance in San Diego history:
Marcus Allen's performance has stood the test of time.
In the 1977 San Diego Section 2A championship football game in Qualcomm Stadium, Allen led Lincoln High to a 34-6 win over Kearny, scoring all of Lincoln's touchdowns, four on offense, another on defense.
He had TD runs of 10, 20, 30 and 85 yards. And he scored on a 60-yard interception return.
Allen had 195 yards rushing in the title game.
"I've never been in awe of any athlete who ran against our defense," Kearny Coach Tom Barnett said at the time. "As the game went on, I said, 'There is no way we're going to stop that guy.'"
After leading Lincoln to the championship, Marcus Allen went to USC where he led the way as a blocking fullback for Charles White in his 1979 Heisman Trophy campaign. He then took over the lead role in the Trojans backfield in 1980 and won his own Heisman Trophy in 1981.