CANTON, Ohio, 5 August 2003 — Calling football “my DNA,” running back Marcus Allen was one of five men enshrined on Sunday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The only player to win a Heisman Trophy, National Football League Most Valuable Player honors and a Super Bowl MVP, Allen was elected in his first year of eligibility.

Joining him in the Class of 2003 were James Lofton, who ranks third all-time with 14,004 receiving yards, Houston Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea and Buffalo Bills guard Joe DeLamielleure. Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram, the recommended nominee of the Hall’s Senior Committee, also was enshrined.

Allen played 11 years with the Raiders from 1982-92 when they were based in Los Angeles and five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-97). He rushed for 12,243 yards, caught 587 passes for 5,411 yards and scored 145 touchdowns. His 123 rushing TDs were an NFL record when he retired following the 1997 season.

“Every inch, every yard, every hit, every hurt, every pain I did because of you guys, my family,” Allen said. “I love football, it’s my DNA.” A six-time Pro Bowler, Allen rushed for a career-high 1,759 yards in 1985 and was named MVP of Super Bowl 18 after running for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 38-9 rout of Washington.

Allen also earned a Pro Bowl berth with Kansas City in 1994. A hero in his hometown, Allen is the third San Diegan to make a Hall of Fame, following Ted Williams in baseball and Bill Walton in basketball. He was presented for enshrinement by his father, Harold “Red” Allen.

An eight-time Pro Bowler, Lofton spent the first nine years of his 16-year career with the Green Bay Packers, was a teammate of Allen with the Raiders from 1987-88, then spent four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, participating in three Super Bowls. He finished his career in 1993 with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia.

Bethea had to wait 15 years for his election and DeLamielleure made it in his 13th year of eligibility.

The 6-3, 254-pound DeLamielleure spent the first seven years (1973-79) and the final season (1985) of his 13-year career with the Buffalo Bills.

Stram, 79, led Kansas City to a Super Bowl title, one other Super Bowl appearance and three AFL championships. Hired as the first coach of the Dallas Texans in 1960 before the franchise moved to Kansas City and was renamed, Stram won AFL titles in 1962, 1966, and 1969. The Chiefs lost Super Bowl 1 to Green Bay and upset Minnesota in Super Bowl 4, helping to give more credibility to the AFL.