Cowboys Midsummer Madness, Round One: Larry Allen vs. Billy Joe DuPree

In the middle of each bracket, we typically have a run of match-ups between players with disparate seedings. Here, in the Pete Rozelle Regional, we began that run with yesterday's 5-12 pairing and continue it today, as third-seeded Larry Allen locks horns with fourteenth-seeded Billy Joe DuPree. Can DuPree keep it close enough against the Hall of Famer to pull it out at the end? Read the bios and cast your ballots, y'all!

Wanna keep tabs on the state of the bracket or look ahead to future contests? All the Midsummer Madness info you could ever want can be found right here.

Player: Larry Allen

Position: offensive guard, tackle

Seed: 3

Essentials:

Bio: Allen was drafted in the second round of the 1994 Draft and quickly stepped into the starting lineup, starting ten games in place of injured tackles Mark Tuinei and Erik Williams, and earning All-Rookie honors. He arrived on the national scene in a December game against the Saints on Monday Night when, at 325 pounds, he ran down linebacker Darion Conner from behind on an interception return. In 1995, Allen became the starter at right guard, where he remained for the better part of the next three seasons.

In late 1997, however, he had to move to left tackle to replace the injured Tuinei once again, and played the season's final three games there. The following season, he moved to left tackle full time, and again took home All-Pro and All-NFC honors, becoming the third player in league history to be selected to the Pro Bowl at more than one offensive line position. In 1999, the emergence of Flozell Adams allowed Allen to return to guard, this time on the right side. Despite starting in his third O-line position in as many years, Allen was again selected tot he All-Pro team. Further Pro Bowl nominations in 2000 and '01 gave him seven consecutive Pro Bowl nods.

A ten-time Pro Bowl selection in his twelve seasons as a Cowboy, Allen played in more Pro Bowls than any offensive player in franchise history. Allen is regarded as one of the physically strongest men to have ever played in the NFL, having recorded an assisted bench press of 705 lb and a squat of 905 lb. He earned a Super Bowl ring in 1995 (Super Bowl XXX) and was selected to the NFL's All-Decade team for both the 1990s and 2000s. Allen was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2011 and voted to the Hall of Fame in 2013.

*Allen's AV with the Cowboys was 120; his career AV (with two teams) was 131.

**Allen was selected to ten Pro Bowls as a Cowboy, and eleven total in his career.

Player: Billy Joe DuPree

Position: tight end

Seed: 14

Essentials:

Bio: DuPree was drafted in the first round of the 1973 Draft, and hit the ground running; as a rookie he started all fourteen games, led the team in receiving yards (392), and was second in receiving touchdowns, with five. That began an ironman run in which DuPree never missed a game in his eleven seasons. He was one of the 1970s NFL's new breed" tight ends: guys who were high functioning blockers as well as dangerous receivers. And Dupree often added a third threat: he was a good runner. Over the course of his career, Dupree logged 26 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown, mostly on patented tight end reverses.

In addition, DuPree caught 267 passes for 3,565 yards and 41 scores, a record that stood until it was broken in 2012 by Jason Witten. During the heart of his career, DuPree was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1976–78, and was the Cowboys leading receiver in their Super Bowl XII victory, with four catches for 66 yards. He also played in both Super Bowl losses to the Steelers, catching a touchdown in SB XIII. Dupree was widely respected in the locker room; he was a Cowboys co-captain and twice received the team’s NFL Man of the Year nomination

Alright, BTBers, which man advances to the next round?