Irene Allen, mother of Boston College defensive end Zach Allen, was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader from 1985-1987. [PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN FAMILY] ▲ Boston College defensive end Zach Allen, surrounded by family. [PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN FAMILY] ▲ Irene Allen, mother of Boston College defensive end Zach Allen, was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader from 1985-1987. [PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN FAMILY] ▲

MOBILE, Ala. — Zach Allen of Boston College is everything the Miami Dolphins should want in a defensive end.

Allen has size (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) and he can play the run and pass and he possesses a relentless motor.

But there is one reason above all others that the Dolphins should strongly consider drafting the tough, physical and aggressive defender. From 1985-1987, Allen's mother Irene was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader.

"Whenever a team asks, 'Oh, has anybody in your family ever played pro sports?' I was always wondering if I should put that," Allen said during a break from Senior Bowl practices.

Before you ask, yes, the Dolphins did a full sit-down interview session with Allen this week. And no, Dan Marino wasn't in the room (his focus is quarterback prospects).

But yes, you might want to know, Irene Allen (once known as Irene Selenow) was on the sidelines for Monday Night Football at the Orange Bowl when Marino and Miami beat the Bears to prevent Mike Ditka from an undefeated season. The year was 1985.

"It was very glamorous," Irene Allen recalled this week from her Connecticut home. "Back then, the Dolphins were everything. And Dan Marino was everything."

Irene Allen grew up in Hallandale Beach and attended Cooper City High School. She was a Dolphins cheerleader while attending the University of Miami.

"All your weekends were spent training or at the games," she said. "It was very fun. We went to Japan my last year for the Coca-Cola College All-Star Game. My first year, we cheered for Princess Diana and Charles when they did a tour of Palm Beach. There are photos of the event in a book about them."

Sure enough, there is a page that includes photos of royalty, and Irene.

Zach Allen, projected by some as a second-round pick, grew up a fan of Justin Tuck and the Giants. Allen said the most flattering pro comparison he's ever heard is J.J. Watt of the Texans, though, as he says, "I know I've got a lot of work to get to that level."

We could tell you about how Allen believes he can fit into a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. But this whole Charles-Diana thing in Palm Beach seems much more interesting, doesn't it?

Actually, the Allen family is quite interesting in general.

Zach's grandmother, Irene's mother, lives now in West Palm Beach. Nina Selenow-Goldstein is 87, and she is a survivor of a Nazi labor camp during World War II.

Nina Selenow-Goldstein was from Russia but ended up in New York after liberation. One of the things she did was work as a seamstress, making coats for the U.S. Air Force.

When Irene Allen was in high school, her mother had cancer, which she defeated. Irene, at the age of 17, would drive her mother to chemotherapy sessions. A year later, she was cheerleading for the Dolphins, while attending Miami.

When speaking of her son, Irene says she's most proud that Zach earned high grades while competing in a challenging finance sector of Boston College's business school.

Allen has been stressing high character on and off the field in conversations with NFL clubs this week.

"Everybody here can hit hard," Allen said. "We're all big guys. But being able to come in and perform at a high, consistent, dependable level every day, that's a lot tougher. I definitely try not to have any bad days. I want my teammates to know what they're going to get every single day. And that's a productive player, who's going to be gap-sound, disciplined, and outside the facility I try to take that lesson, too. My parents know what they're going to get as a son. My girlfriend knows what she's going to get from her boyfriend. My friends know what they're going to get from a friend. That's why you saw my game skyrocket every year at B.C."

Allen is one of the most productive defensive players in Boston College history, racking up 40.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks over his final three seasons. The Dolphins are soon to be coached by former Boston College linebacker Brian Flores, who will call plays for the Patriots at the Super Bowl.

Of course Zach and his parents will be happy with any NFL team that selects him. If the Giants, Jets or Patriots make the call, it's an easy drive from Connecticut. If the Dolphins were to make the call, they could all see grandma more often, and reminisce about those 1980's cheerleader days.

"That would be pretty cool," Zach Allen said.

"That would be amazing," Irene Allen said.

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jschad@pbpost.com

@schadjoe