Steve Owens Will Be Sooner Spectator's Guest

[Jay C. Upchurch]

Sooner Spectator is proud to announce that 1969 Heisman Trophy winner and All-American STEVE OWENS will appear Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, at our Campus Corner tent to meet OU fans and sign autographs. Mr. Owens will be our guest prior to the OU-Baylor game, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

To make the occasion even more special, Sooner Spectator will be offering one-year subscriptions and renewals for the ultra low cost of only $19.95. That's RIGHT.... ONLY $19.95..... That's $25 off the regular subscription price and almost $50 off the newsstand price.

We're calling it our Heisman Trophy Special and it will be available only on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, at our tent. Anyone purchasing a subscription will also receive a free autographed photo from Steve Owens.

We are looking forward to a big crowd. Hopefully, everyone will come out and see Steve and sign up for the best college fan magazine in the land!

[nativesooner]

Awesome! That's one person I've never had the chance to meet. How much if I had him sign an old Sports Illustrated for me? Thanks!

[Jay C. Upchurch]

All Personal items are $10 each

[Jay C. Upchurch]

Here's a story I did on Steve a couple of years ago...

Winning the Heisman still special for Owens

By Jay C. Upchurch

The 1969 college football season was not exactly the best of times for Oklahoma. Even though Chuck Fairbanks’ Sooners opened as the No. 6 ranked team in the nation and used a lineup that featured three eventual first-round NFL draft picks, the team failed to live up to expectations.

Opponents averaged a whopping 28 points a game, which included a 59-21 drubbing at the hands of a Kansas State program the Sooners had previously beaten 33 straight times. Missouri also tagged OU with a 44-10 loss and Nebraska crushed Fairbanks’ crew 44-14 at Owen Field, no less.

There was unrest to the point rumors began circulating about the fate of the entire OU coaching staff.

The Sooners had been on the brink of a national championship only two years earlier, finishing 10-1 with an Orange Bowl victory over Tennessee. But that type of success seemed like a distant memory for the 1969 squad.

“We went into that season with high hopes and some rather lofty goals, but it turned out to be a very disappointing year from that standpoint,” said Ken Mendenhall, a three-year starter on the offensive line (1967-69). “That, however, was offset in a lot of ways by Steve Owens’ performance.”

In the midst of what was an otherwise forgettable autumn, Owens was nothing short of magnificent.

From the time he bludgeoned Wisconsin for 189 yards in the ’69 season opener until his final carry in a record-smashing effort against Oklahoma State in the last collegiate game of his career, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound tailback was practically unstoppable.

He wasn’t flashy. He was straightforward. He wasn’t mesmerizing. He was predictable.

Still, Owens was anything but ordinary.

He proved that from the moment he stepped into the OU backfield as a sophomore. Relentless and fearless, Owens bulldozed his way through opposing defenses at a record-setting pace his first two campaigns in Norman. And by the time his senior season arrived, the Miami, Okla., native was on the verge of greatness.

“Steve had so much talent. He had football talent and athletic talent, and he’s as competitive a player as anyone I’ve ever been around,” said Jack Mildren, who earned the starting quarterback job as a sophomore in ’69. “Watching him his junior season was like watching a running machine. He was tough and he didn’t make mistakes.

“Steve would carry the ball six or seven times in a row and never miss a beat. That’s how strong he was.”

Owens carried the ball an NCAA-record 393 times as a junior, amassing 1,649 yards and 21 touchdowns, both OU records at the time. He helped lead the Sooners to a 7-4 mark that included a 47-0 win over Nebraska, earning them a share of the Big Eight title.

The general consensus was that Owens, who earned All-America honors, would be hard-pressed to stay healthy through another season where he carried the ball an average of 36 times a game. It was too much punishment even for a player with Owens’ mettle.

“He was tough as nails,” said Mike Harper, OU’s starting fullback and a key blocker on almost every run Owens made during his college career.

“Steve never got hurt while he was at Oklahoma. He’d get beat up, but that never stopped him. He never missed a practice to speak of, and he certainly never missed a game.”

Owens was as determined as he was resilient. Oklahoma worked mostly out of an I-formation set that was geared almost solely around its talented go-to guy. There was little misdirection or trickery involved in the Sooners’ play-calling — it was basically: Owens left, Owens right, Owens up the middle.

“The most amazing thing about Steve was the fact he got stronger as the game went on. I promise he ran harder on his last carry than he did on his first,” said Mendenhall. “He was the kind of guy you really wanted to go out and block for.”

If OU did anything well during the ’69 season it was block for Owens. The proof was in the results. After producing 10 consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing games as a junior, Owens extended that streak to 18 (another NCAA record) before coming up short in the lopsided loss to the Huskers.

By then, the media was focusing on his every carry and he had become one of the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy.

“I tried to go out and play, do whatever the coaches asked me to do,” explained Owens. “I never really thought about winning the Heisman. I was fortunate enough to play in a system that gave me an opportunity. And more than that, I had great teammates.”

Owens also credited offensive coordinator Barry Switzer for keeping him focused and prepared every single practice and particularly on Saturdays.

Behind a determined front line and a hard-charging fullback, Owens forged ahead, rewriting most of OU’s rushing records. He rolled up 248 yards on 53 carries in a win over Iowa State and followed that effort with 201 yards against Kansas two weeks later.

Unfortunately, that success was not translating into nearly enough team victories. At the time the Heisman ballots were cast, the Sooners had dropped completely out of the polls thanks to a sobering 5-4 record.

“Once we realized we weren’t going to win the Big Eight, it became a challenge to help Steve win the Heisman. That kind of kept us going because it was a way to salvage the season,” said Harper.

While Owens’ numbers through nine games were hard to ignore — 303 carries, 1,262 yards, 21 TDs — many believed Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps might have an edge in the final voting.

In the end, it came down to a phone call from the Downtown Athletic Club.

“The announcement was on a Monday (Nov. 24, 1969) and we still had a game to play the following Saturday in Stillwater,” said Owens, describing the scenario that day. “We went to the Student Union where they had a room set up for us and waited for a phone call that was supposed to come at 11 (a.m.) if we won. If you didn’t win, you didn’t get a call. Well, 11 came and went. Then 11:05, 11:10 and 11:15, and still no call.

“We figured that was it. So my wife Barbara and I left and starting to walk to the car because I had a scouting meeting to go to that day. About that time, a guy from OU’s radio station yells out to congratulate me on winning the Heisman. I wasn’t sure what to think.”

It was no hoax. The news had just come across on the wire. Steve Owens was the first Oklahoma player to earn the Heisman Trophy since Billy Vessels took home the famous statuette in 1952.

“That’s how I found out I had won the Heisman,” laughed Owens. “Later on, they told me there was some confusion as to what phone they were supposed to call. Either way, it was an amazing moment.”

And well deserved, according to Fairbanks.

“The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the best college player in the country and in this case it did,” he said afterward. “Steve is the greatest inside runner I’ve ever seen. He is remarkable at diagnosing defense and finding holes. He has tremendous durability and strength.”

Owens’ world was turned upside-down over the next few weeks. He was pulled in every direction and still had some on-the-field business to take care of.

“There was a little bit of a cloud over the whole deal because of how the season was unfolding and how our coaching staff was under fire,” said Owens.

So what did Owens do?

For starters, he helped alter the course of history. Five days after being honored as the best player in college football, Owens turned in an encore performance against Oklahoma State that included a record 55 carries for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The 28-27 triumph over the Cowboys quite possibly saved the jobs of Fairbanks and his staff.

“The funny thing is there was no secret to what we were doing. Everybody knew it. And they couldn’t do anything to stop him,” noted Harper. “The heart Steve showed that day is something I’ll always remember.”

As usual, Owens’ take was a little different.

“The reason we won that last game, the reason I won the Heisman is because of those guys in front of me,” Owens said. “Mike (Harper) blocking, Steve Zabel and the whole offensive line — I take my hat off to all of those guys. To honor me is to honor my teammates.

“I always try to keep that in mind when I look at that trophy.”

Owens knew he had joined an elite group of players with his Heisman. But he had no idea how the award would ultimately alter his life.

A few weeks after the season ended, Miami honored its favorite son with “Steve Owens Day.” The town renamed a street Steve Owens Boulevard, as 35,000 people showed up to join in the celebration.

“I’ve been very, very blessed. The Heisman has been something that has had a major impact on my life,” Owens said. “It’s been an amazing ride. The relationships I’ve been able to build over the years, the friends — unforgettable.

“Most importantly, my time at Oklahoma was the best. Our fans are the greatest. Every moment there was so special. I’ll always feel that way.”

[Jay C. Upchurch]

Thanks to everyone who came out today to meet Steve Owens. We had a great turnout and we certainly appreciate your support!

As always, Steve was a gracious guest, taking time to talk to all of the fans and even getting pictures taken with many of them. Many thanks to Steve for being such a great player, but even more - such a great person.

See everyone at the ****** game in a couple of weeks!

thanks again,

JCU