Joe Owens
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Columbia, Mississippi, U.S.
Columbia, Mississippi, U.S.
| No. 72, 71 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | November 8, 1946 Columbia, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | June 9, 2013 (aged 66) Columbia, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Jefferson (MS) | ||||||||||
| College | Alcorn State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1969: 9th round, 215th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Joseph T. Owens (November 8, 1946 – June 9, 2013)[1][2] was an American professional football defensive end in the National Football League from 1970 to 1976, with 49 quarterback sacks in 87 games. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 9th round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He played college football at Alcorn State University. He was first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference and an NAIA All-American selection as a senior.
Owens was born on November 8, 1946, in Columbia, Missouri, to Cleveland and Pearlie (Young) Owens.[3][2] He attended Jefferson High School, where he was a fullback, offensive tackle and defensive tackle on the football team.[4][5] Owens was all-conference in football.[6] He was also on the school's track and field team, as a long jumper and throwing the shot put.[5]
College career
Owens attended Alcorn Agricultural & Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University).[7] He played from 1965 to 1968 on the school's football team (the Alcorn A&M Braves) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), mostly as a linebacker. He weighed 205 lb (92.9 kg) entering Alcorn and 225 lb (102.1 kg) when he graduated.[7][8][9][10] As a sophomore, in a late-October 1966 game, Owens blocked a punt against Southern University that was recovered and returned for a touchdown, in a 14–14 tie.[11]
As a senior in 1968, Owens played linebacker on an Alcorn A&M Braves team that had a 9–1 record, and was the SWAC co-champion. That team's defense gave up only 85 total points in ten games, and had three shutouts.[5][8] Owens had over 10 quarterback sacks, blocked three punts and recovered two fumbles during the season; and was considered both an excellent pass rusher and pass coverage defender.[12][13] He was one of Alcorn's leading players on defense in defeating Florida A&M in the 1968 Orange Blossom Classic, 36–9. Alcorn was considered the Black College (HBCU) national co-champion that year.[5][8][14]
Owens was named second-team All-SWAC as a junior in 1967.[6] As a senior, he was named first-team All-SWAC at defensive end, and a District 27 NAIA All-American. He was an honorable mention NAIA All-American, named by the NAIA Football Coaches Association.[15][16][17][18] In 2014, he was named the 36th greatest football player in Alcorn State University's history.[13]