Marcus

Allen has carved out a spectacular career in football from his days at the University of Southern California, during the late 1970s and early '80s, where he won the Heisman Trophy, through 11 seasons with the Los Angles Raiders and four with the Kansas City Chiefs. He credits his middle-class San Diego family with instilling in him the values that helped him place sports in their proper perspective and retain his stability. Writing with modesty and with the help of freelancer Stowers, he also notes that even as he was setting NFL records, he never doubted that those records would be broken in the future. Virtually the only downbeat notes here are his reminiscences of his friendship with O.J. Simpson and his wife, Nicole. Simpson was a guide and mentor to Allen when the latter was still in high school. Additionally, the Allens were married at the Brentwood estate where Nicole and Simpson lived. Expressing his anger at tabloids that claimed he and Nicole had an affair, Allen regrets that he came to the attention of the general public for reasons other than his gridiron talents. A reflective man, he notes that football has been a classroom in which he has learned about himself and his fellow humans, about most of whom he speaks kindly. Only Raiders owner Al Davis raises his venom. And when he talks about the ""sheer beauty"" of football, he'll have fans hanging on his every word. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (Sept.)