Ike Owens (American football)
American football player (1920–1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isiah Hudson Owens (January 8, 1920 – June 14, 1980) was an American football player.
Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
| Illinois Fighting Illini | |
|---|---|
| Positions | End, defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 8, 1920 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | June 14, 1980 (aged 60) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Theodore Roosevelt (Gary, Indiana) |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Owens was born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1920.[1] He moved to Gary, Indiana, as a boy and attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in that city.[1][2] Owens enrolled at the University of Illinois in 1940, but his college career was interrupted by four years of service in the Air Corps during World War II.[2]
After the war, Owens returned to the University of Illinois where he became one of the school's first African-American football stars.[3] He played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team in 1941, 1946, and 1947. Illinois coach Ray Eliot called him one of "the greatest ends in Illinois football history."[2] He received numerous honors during his playing career at Illinois, including the following:
- In 1946, he was selected by the United Press (UP) as a first-team player on the 1946 All-Big Nine Conference football team.[4]
- He was selected by his teammates as the most valuable player on the 1947 Illinois Fighting Illini football team.[3]
- He was selected by the Associated Press (AP), UP, and International News Service (INS) as a first-team end on the 1947 All-Big Nine Conference football team.[5][6][7]
- Owens also received second-team honors from the AP, INS, and Newspaper Enterprise Association on the 1947 College Football All-America Team.[8][9][10]
Owens graduated from Illinois in June 1948 as an honor student with a degree in art and design.[11][2]
In June 1948, Owens signed to play for the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference.[11] Owens appeared in eight games as a defensive end for the Rockets in 1948.[1] He was released in late October 1948.[12] He died in June 1980 at the age of 60.[13]
