Keenan Allen's 1,000th Catch Gives Cal A Rare NFL 1-2 Punch

Keenan Allen caught five passes for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, making Cal just the second school with two members of the NFL’s exclusive club of 1,000 career receptions.

Allen became the 16th player in NFL history to reach that milestone and now resides at No. 15 with 1,003 career catches. The 33-year-old in his 13th NFL season played for the Bears from 2010-12, making 205 receptions in three collegiate seasons.

With his 4-yard catch of a pass from Justin Herbert in the second quarter, he reached the 1,000-catch plateau in fewer games (159) than any other NFL player. Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison did it in 167 games.

He joins Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez as ex-Golden Bears with 1,000 catches during their NFL careers. Gonzalez, a two-sport star at Cal during the 1990s, ranks No. 3 on the al-time list with 1,325 receptions, most by a tight end.

“Just another accolade,” Allen told reporters. "Me and Antonio Gates used to call some of these records kind of made-up stats. Fastest to 1,000, definitely a made-up stat.”

Allen had his record-breaking day in the Chargers’ 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium at Inglewood.

"It's awesome watching him do Keenan Allen things," Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week. "He is just one of the best and it's just great to be a part of (the milestone). I love being a part of it. I love watching it.”

A 6-foot-2 native of Greensboro, NC, Allen has assembled five different seasons with at least 100 receptions since his rookie campaign in 2013.

Allen is back with the Chargers, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2013, after one season with the Chicago Bears. The six-time Pro Bowl selection has 29 receptions through five games this season.

Besides Cal, only Miami-Florida boasts two alums with at least 1,000 catches. Reggie Wayne (2001-14) is 10th all-time with 1,070 receptions and Andre Johnson (2003-16) is 11th with 1,062 lifetime grabs.

Allen now has 935 catches with the Chargers, pulling him within striking distance of ex-teammate Gates’ franchise record of 955.

Jerry Rice (1,549 catches from 1985-2004) is the NFL record-holder for career receptions and Larry Fitzgerald (1,432 from 2004-20) is No. 2 all-time.

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