| No. 23 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1943-02-16)February 16, 1943 Linden, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | June 21, 2022(2022-06-21) (aged 79) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Fullerton Union(Fullerton, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1965: 7th round, 89 (by theDallas Cowboys)th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Brigman P. Owens (February 16, 1943 – June 21, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys andWashington Redskins. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Cincinnati.
Owens attendedFullerton Union High School, where he played as aquarterback anddefensive back. He also playedbasketball,baseball andtrack.
Owens enrolled atFullerton Junior College, where he became the fifth member of his family to play sports at the school. As a freshman, he was named the startingquarterback and led the team to its first ever bowl game, the 1961Orange Bowl Show. As a sophomore, he received junior college All-American honors.[1]
In 1963, he transferred to theUniversity of Cincinnati, where he became the school's firstAfrican American starter atquarterback. He posted 974 passing yards, 7 passing touchdowns, 556 rushing yards (led the team) and 6 rushing touchdowns (led the team), while ranking twelfth in the nation in total offense. He also served as aplacekicker andpunter.
As a senior, he led the team to a 10–1 record, which were the most wins in school history. He posted 790 passing yards, 6 passing touchdowns, 658 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. He was a passer, runner, and punter, finishing his college career with a 16–5 record, 2Missouri Valley Conference titles, 1,764 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 1,214 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.[2]
In 1979, he was inducted into theUniversity of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1982, he was inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was inducted into the Fullerton College Athletics Hall of Fame.[3] In 1990, he received theNCAA Silver Anniversary Award for his deep commitment to the community and country. In 2012, he was inducted into theCalifornia Community College Athletic Association hall of fame.[4]
Owens was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the seventh round (89th overall) of the1965 NFL draft. He was converted into asafety duringtraining camp. He spent most of the year on the team'staxi squad. On August 30,1966, he was traded, along withJake Kupp andMitch Johnson, to theWashington Redskins forJim Steffen and a fifth-round draft choice (#119-Willie Parker).[5]
In1970, he was named the starter atstrong safety.[6] He remained with the Redskins until he retired after the1977 season. He played a significant role in leading the1972 squad toSuper Bowl VII and had a good performance in the game, recording a key interception fromMiami DolphinsquarterbackBob Griese in theend zone during the second half.
One of his more memorable performances occurred on a1966 regular season game against theNew York Giants, where he scored two defensive touchdowns: a 62-yard interception return and a 62-yard fumble return. Washington ended up winning the game 72–41; to this day it is the highest scoring game in NFL history.
Owens holds the record for most interception return yards in Redskins history (686) and is second all-time for the Redskins in career interceptions (36). Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He also recovered ten fumbles, returning them for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
He was inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame.
After the NFL, Owens graduated fromAntioch School of Law, and received his Doctorate of Juris Prudence from Potomac Law School, before serving in theNational Football League Players Association as an assistant executive director from 1979 to 1984. He also owned his own business, a commercial real estate development company which also represented professional athletes.[7]
Owens was a member ofAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[8] Married to Patricia from 1965 until his death, the couple had two daughters, Robin and Tracy. He received an honorary doctoral degree from theUniversity of Cincinnati in 2008. He died on June 21, 2022, at the age of 79.[9]