James Donald Owens (March 6, 1927 – June 6, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He played one year in the National Football League (NFL) as an end for the Baltimore Colts. His career in coaching was longer-lived, as he held the position of head coach at the University of Washington from 1957 to 1974, compiling a record of 99–82–6 (.545) in 18 seasons.
 Owens from 1960 UW yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 6, 1927 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 2009 (aged 82) Bigfork, Montana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1946–1949 | Oklahoma |
| 1950 | Baltimore Colts |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1951–1953 | Kentucky (assistant) |
| 1954–1956 | Texas A&M (assistant) |
| 1957–1974 | Washington |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1960–1969 | Washington |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 99–82–6 |
| Bowls | 2–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 National (1960) 3 AAWU (1959, 1960, 1963) | |
| Awards | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1982 (profile) | |
Biography
editPlaying career
edit
Owens played college football at the University of Oklahoma from 1946 to 1949, under head coach Bud Wilkinson, where he was a teammate of Darrell Royal, who, coincidentally, was the Huskies' head coach in 1956, then took the same post at Texas, allowing Owens to come to Seattle.[1] He played a year of pro football in 1950 for the Baltimore Colts, a one-win squad worthy of mention as among the worst teams in NFL history.[2]
Coaching career
editAfter his brief foray in professional football came to an end, Owens served as a college assistant coach for six years under Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky and at Texas A&M University.[3] According to legend, after the 1956 season, when the Washington Huskies were looking for a head coach, Bryant indicated to reporters that Owens "will make a great coach for somebody some day."[4]
In 1959 and 1960, he led Washington to back-to-back ten-win seasons and consecutive Rose Bowl wins. He was awarded the UPI Pacific Coast Coach of the Year for 1959[5] and 1960.[6] He also coached the Huskies to the 1964 Rose Bowl. Owens concurrently served as the athletic director at Washington from 1960 to 1969. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1982.
Owens' 1960 team was awarded the national championship by the Helms Athletic Foundation after defeating Minnesota in the 1961 Rose Bowl. The Golden Gophers had already been awarded the AP, UPI, and NFF national championships at the end of the regular season, as was customary at the time.
Owens resigned as head coach of the Huskies following the 1974 season at the end of his last contract, a three-year deal at $33,000 per year.[7] His later years at Washington were marred by accusations of racism and the backlash that resulted from his actions and attitudes towards black players.[8][9][10][11][12] He was succeeded as head coach by Don James, the head coach at Kent State, who also led the Huskies for eighteen seasons. Owens later apologized for his actions as part of his acknowledgements as a statue of him was erected at Washington in 2003.[13]
Owens died at age 82 in 2009 at his home in Bigfork, Montana.[14]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Huskies (Pacific Coast Conference) (1957–1958) | |||||||||
| 1957 | Washington | 3–6–1 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1958 | Washington | 3–7 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| Washington Huskies (Athletic Association of Western Universities / Pacific-8 Conference) (1959–1974) | |||||||||
| 1959 | Washington | 10–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Rose | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1960 | Washington | 10–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Rose | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1961 | Washington | 5–4–1 | 2–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1962 | Washington | 7–1–2 | 4–1 | 2nd | 14 | ||||
| 1963 | Washington | 6–5 | 4–1 | 1st | L Rose | 15 | |||
| 1964 | Washington | 6–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1965 | Washington | 5–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1966 | Washington | 6–4 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1967 | Washington | 5–5 | 3–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1968 | Washington | 3–5–2 | 1–5–1 | 8th | |||||
| 1969 | Washington | 1–9 | 1–7 | 7th | |||||
| 1970 | Washington | 6–4 | 4–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1971 | Washington | 8–3 | 4–3 | T–3rd | 19 | ||||
| 1972 | Washington | 8–3 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1973 | Washington | 2–9 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 1974 | Washington | 5–6 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Washington: | 99–82–6 | 60–58–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 99–82–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Former Washington football coach Jim Owens dies at 82". USA Today. Associated Press. June 6, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ The 1950 Colts gave up an NFL record 462 points in 12 games, the most of any team of the 1950s, including 70-point shellackings by the Rams both in the regular season and pre-season.
- ^ Withers, Bud (June 6, 2009). "Jim Owens, coaching legend of UW football, dies at 82". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009.
- ^ "Sarkisian has 'it' factor UW needs".[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Six Mustangs Earn Coast Mention: First-Team Spots Monopolized by USC, Washington". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. November 30, 1959. p. 8.
- ^ "UPI Selects: Campbell Chosen Lineman of Year". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 22, 1960. p. 30.
- ^ "Huskies' Owens quits". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Lewiston, Idaho. Associated Press. November 27, 1974. p. B1. Retrieved June 23, 2017 – via Google News.
- ^ Underwood, John (September 1, 1969). "Shave off that thing!". Sports Illustrated. p. 20.
- ^ "UW blacks stay home". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). AP, UPI. October 31, 1969. p. 17.
- ^ "Tension easing at UW". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). AP, UPI. November 12, 1969. p. 35.
- ^ Gayton, Carver (September 19, 2004). "Carver Gayton reflects on the Jim Owens statue at Husky Stadium, University of Washington". HistoryLink. (essay 5745). Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ Wilma, David (November 27, 2001). "Huskies coach Jim Owens suspends four African American football players on October 30, 1969". HistoryLink. (essay 3645). Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Iwasaki, John (October 24, 2003). "A controversial statue creates dissent, healing". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Jim Owens, former Washington football coach, dies at 82". New York Times. Associated Press. June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
External links
edit- Jim Owens at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference