Illinois Fighting Illini | |
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Position | End, defensive end |
Personal information | |
Born: | Columbus, Georgia, U.S. | January 8, 1920
Died: | June 14, 1980 Gary, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 60)
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career history | |
College |
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High school | Theodore Roosevelt ( Gary, Indiana) |
Career highlights and awards | |
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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:
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]