Jump to content

Ike Owens (American football)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ike Owens
Illinois Fighting Illini
PositionEnd, defensive end
Personal information
Born:(1920-01-08)January 8, 1920
Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Died:June 14, 1980(1980-06-14) (aged 60)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolTheodore 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:

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]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Ike Owens". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tab Ike Owens Candidate for All-American". The Decatur Daily Review. October 23, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b "Ike Owens: "Most Valuable Player"". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 26, 1947. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Michigan Gets Three Places On UP Team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (UP story). November 30, 1946. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Michigan Lands Four Players on All-Big Nine". The Daily News, Ludington, Mich. (AP story). November 24, 1947. p. 6.
  6. ^ "'M' Awarded Five Positions on UP Team". The Michigan Daily. November 26, 1947. p. 3.
  7. ^ Charles Einstein. "Wilson of Wisconsin On INS All-Big Nine Team". The Milwaukee Sentinel (INS story).[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Midwest Places Three Backs On AP All-American Squad: Lujack, Evans and Chappuis On First Team". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. December 3, 1947.
  9. ^ Lawton Carver (December 4, 1947). "Johnny Lujack Unanimous INS All-American Grid Selection". The Daily Courier. Connellsville, PA.
  10. ^ Harry Grayson (November 1947). "Lujack Is Only Unanimous Choice For NEA's 1947 All-America". Middlesboro, Ky., Daily News.
  11. ^ a b "'Ike' Owens, Illini Star, Signs With Chicago Rockets". The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware. June 17, 1948. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ^ "Ike Owens Among Four Dropped By Rockets". The Decatur Herald. October 27, 1948. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ^ "Ike Owens". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved April 8, 2017.