| Illinois Fighting Illini | |
|---|---|
| Position | End, defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 8, 1920 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died: | June 14, 1980 (aged 60) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Theodore Roosevelt (Gary, Indiana) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Isiah Hudson Owens (January 8, 1920 – June 14, 1980) was an American football player.
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]
- ^ a b c "Ike Owens". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Tab Ike Owens Candidate for All-American". The Decatur Daily Review. October 23, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Ike Owens: "Most Valuable Player"". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 26, 1947. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Gets Three Places On UP Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (UP story). November 30, 1946. p. 13.
- ^ "Michigan Lands Four Players on All-Big Nine". The Daily News, Ludington, Mich. (AP story). November 24, 1947. p. 6.
- ^ "'M' Awarded Five Positions on UP Team". The Michigan Daily. November 26, 1947. p. 3.
- ^ Charles Einstein. "Wilson of Wisconsin On INS All-Big Nine Team". The Milwaukee Sentinel (INS story).[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Midwest Places Three Backs On AP All-American Squad: Lujack, Evans and Chappuis On First Team". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. December 3, 1947.
- ^ Lawton Carver (December 4, 1947). "Johnny Lujack Unanimous INS All-American Grid Selection". The Daily Courier. Connellsville, PA.
- ^ Harry Grayson (November 1947). "Lujack Is Only Unanimous Choice For NEA's 1947 All-America". Middlesboro, Ky., Daily News.
- ^ a b "'Ike' Owens, Illini Star, Signs With Chicago Rockets". The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware. June 17, 1948. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ike Owens Among Four Dropped By Rockets". The Decatur Herald. October 27, 1948. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ike Owens". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
