Devon Allen grows from life experiences outside of sports during rehab

Magnetized on the top right-hand corner of a white General Electric refrigerator is an 8×11 sheet of laminated paper. Look a little closer and you’ll see the title: DEVON’S GOALS. Take an even closer look and you’ll find three self-explanatory categories spread across the paper from left to right: short term, this year and next five years.

Oregon wide receiver and hurdler Devon Allen has been using this piece of laminated paper for the past eight years.

When Devon was a ninth-grader in Phoenix, Louis Allen, his single father, had an idea. The idea was to devise a system to help his two children — both in middle school at the time — set short-term and long-term goals. Louis was always a list person and believed it would help them achieve more.

The idea blossomed into a yearly family tradition where each member wrote out their yearly list of goals with a red dry erase marker that all sat side-by-side on the refrigerator door in the kitchen.

The laminated papers allow them to erase accomplished goals when they’re finished and edit those that need adjusting.

Devon did just that this year, erasing past goals and keeping an eye on those still ahead. Until the end of the 2014 football season, one of those goals was to win the inaugural College Football Playoff championship. He had to erase it.

Needless to say, it was a year that called for a lot of red smudges and self-reflection for the already well-accomplished dual athlete.

“No one wants to get hurt, but sometimes when you get hurt and miss out on things, one of the advantages is it makes you appreciate it more when you get back out there again,” wide receivers coach Matt Lubick said.

It’s been over eight months since Devon last saw a field or track in an Oregon uniform.

On Jan. 1, Devon entered the Rose Bowl Game against Florida State with 684 yards, a team-high seven touchdowns and a national title in the NCAA and U.S. Outdoor 110-meter hurdles. He tore a ligament in his right knee on the opening kickoff.

Those 20 yards in Pasadena would be the last he’d run in either sport for quite some time.

“He amazed me and actually inspired me and his teammates with the way he handled it,” Lubick said. “He never, ever once had a bad day.”

Fast forward to the first day after undergoing knee surgery. Devon’s lying in bed at home after a successful outpatient surgery and receives a text from Tim O’Neil, his high school track coach and family friend.

He told him, “Hey, congratulations on your day one of recovery.”

O’Neil, a former decathlete who also tore his ACL in college, acknowledged the hard work ahead for Devon. But he also believed in the type of kid Devon has become. He knew Devon was going to be just fine, if not stronger, as a person, athlete and student after going through the roughly year-long process.

“Any time we are faced with some obstacle, it makes us stronger and we learn how to adapt and become better in other areas,” O’Neil said. “I’m sure that he’ll parlay that [injury] into a strength at some point. That’s what really elite athletes do.”

Devon, who is eyeing a return against Michigan State, can now see his old high school coach’s point. He is looking to reap the benefits of resting his body in the offseason and has worked on deficiencies in the meantime, something he hadn’t had the luxury of doing before the injury.

“In any sport, injuries happen, so I feel like you got to learn from it and take the time while you’re not doing something to enjoy something else,” Devon said. “As an athlete, two-sport athlete especially, I was just doing sports 24/7. You have to look at the other things you’re doing in life. That’s what I did.”

In June, Devon had a unique opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic to help build a basketball court for a roughly 1500-person Haitian community with 18 other Oregon student athletes through the non-profit O Heroes program. It wasn’t something Devon had initially planned on, considering the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were still going that weekend.

But this past summer, the two sides connected by chance with openings in Devon’s schedule.

“It was one of those things that I never really thought about doing,” Devon said. “It was a crazy experience. It was hard work. But in the end, it was worth it.”

When Devon landed in the country, he didn’t know what to expect. Neither did the other 18 athletes that boarded the plane.

While laying the foundation for five hard days of work, Devon slept on foam pads in a local clinic next to a church that was surrounded by nets to fend off mosquitoes. He wasn’t in his comfort zone. He was simply dedicating his time to an experience that he may never be able to do again.

These are the types of priceless experiences that an older, rejuvenated Devon will soon carry as a lead receiver for the Ducks in the coming months. Devon may never be able to claim the feat of winning the inaugural college football title game. But he will, however, live the rest of his life with the memory of building a safe haven for future generations of Haitian kids to enjoy.

On paper, he has been out of commission for eight months. No football, no NCAA track championships.

But from Devon’s perspective, 2015 has been a year he will never forget. Not because of the accolades that he has earned or the untimeliness of his injury, but because these testing months have given him a glimpse into life beyond sports, while simultaneously reigniting his passion for them.

Waiting for Devon at home will be a little red smudge ready to be wiped away, a remnant of past successful years. Next to that red smudge though, there will also be one last goal, one that he’s been working towards since 2011, despite his injury.

It reads: “Olympic Games!”

Devon’s course may have veered in all types of directions since January, but the spirit of his plans remains unchanged.

If all goes according to plan, Devon will be wearing the red, white and blue in August 2016, representing Team USA in Rio de Janeiro and will wipe one more goal off the board.

“[These experiences] helped him grow,” Louis said. “We’ve always talked about big picture goals. He goes back to those goals that he has. There’s life after sports.”

This December, the Allen household will gather back in their kitchen around Christmas time to catch up and update their lists. There will be some erasing. There will surely be some writing.

Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim

Kim: Mariota and Grasu share one last moment that proves Oregon will be okay

ARLINGTON, Texas – Marcus Mariota slowly walked into the Oregon locker room wearing a traditional Hawaiian lei around his neck that was as decorated as his career – his parents had given one to him after their 42-20 loss to Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff title game at AT&T Stadium – trying to hold back the emotions that his teammates were also surely fighting.

“I love those guys, it’s why you play the game,” Mariota said. “The relationships that I’ve built here will last a lifetime and these guys are truly special. I was part of a special team. Truly blessed for it, grateful.”

As media members quickly rushed over, squeezing tight around the Heisman winner for what may be his last availability as Oregon’s quarterback, Mariota kept his words short and simple.

Instead of dwelling on the loss that had kept the Ducks just short of their title dreams, which was a feat within itself, Mariota preached words of encouragement and family, the very aspects of the Oregon culture that prompted the decorated quarterback to return for another year this season. And while there wasn’t too much to be said in a game where Urban Meyer, third string extraordinaire Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott outperformed his team, Mariota continued to emphasize how special this team was, how bright the future was for this program regardless of whether or not he decides to return for another year or inevitably moves on to the NFL.

“It was a great season,” Mariota said. “To be Pac-12 champions, to be Rose Bowl champions, it says a lot about what we’ve been able to do and we came up short tonight, but I’m so proud of these guys for battling all year.”

Keanon Lowe was one of the first players that media members approached some minutes after the Buckeyes celebrated on the podium, holding up their first-ever College Football Playoff hardware. Exactly like Mariota, the senior leader remained as even-kill as possible, embracing the positives.

Said Lowe: “You obviously don’t want to end your season this way, but I’m not overly emotional right now because I’m taking the time to appreciate everything I’ve been through these last five years and especially this year. It’s been the best year of my life.”

The loss was undoubtedly hard, and you could tell by just looking at the disappointment on the Oregon players’ faces, but Lowe showed that there was a way to deal with the enormity of the situation, that there was a way to move forward.

“We’re obviously one of the best teams in the country, we didn’t get to go down as the best, but this team is a whole bunch fighters and they’re all my brothers and I love them all.”

Judging by the numerous reactions from the Oregon players, there was a certain, noticeable confidence among them that their program was going to be ok, that there was something positive to take away from this memorable loss. No one truly knows the future of this program, but internally, the Ducks remained confident in their chances to return to the top, embracing the very family-esque ideals that were first set by Chip Kelly, that were later developed by Mark Helfrich.

“I believe it’s ascending,” Mariota said about Oregon’s future. “This program has been around now for a few years and they have great coaches, great talent and there’s always an opportunity to get better. Whatever the case may be, this program will be alright.”

With less than a minute remaining on the countless high definition screens surrounding AT&T Stadium, Mariota and Hroniss Grasu shared one last final moment, one that encapsulated years of camaraderie, brotherhood.

With the game already in hand for the Buckeyes, with the distraught Oregon fans not knowing how to take the loss, with the thousands of prideful Buckeyes fans cheering on what they knew was likely going to be Mariota’s final drive in college football, Mariota made eye contact with his longtime center, telling him to “go out swinging.”

Neither of them wanted to exit with a loss, especially one of this magnitude, but like always, the two fought hard together until the end. And as Mariota’s last pass was picked off, the game came to an end, leaving behind an image of two storied players that had failed to bring home a title in two separate instances.

“He’s done a lot for us,” Grasu said of Mariota. “He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable face of the program, I couldn’t ask for any other quarterback to go to war with, any other team to go to war with.”

Grasu is bound for the NFL next season and so will a large group of other Oregon players. Mariota on the other hand, has yet to make his decision to return for one more year.

“Especially a guy like Marcus, he’s a brother to me, someone I look up to very much,” Grasu said. “Since I’m done here….I don’t know what he’s going to be doing, but it’s been a pleasure.”

Regardless of the decision he makes, their relationship will exemplify an attitude that their program will continue to strive for as they look to reload next season. This won’t be the last time Oregon will see a closely knit team make a memorable run, at least that’s what they believe, hope for.