Brigman Owens is a former
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who played
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and the
Washington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
Owens played
college footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at
University of CincinnatiThe University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
and was
draftedThe National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the seventh round of the
1965 NFL DraftThe 1965 National Football League Draft took place on November 28, 1964. The first player selected was Tucker Frederickson, back from Auburn, by the New York Giants. The draft was marked by the failure of the St...
by the Dallas Cowboys. He was traded to the Redskins the following year, and remained on the team until he retired after the
1977 seasonThe 1977 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-4 record from 1976.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
. He played a significant role in leading the
1972The 1972 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 9-4-1 record from 1971.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:* Larry Brown, NFL MVP * Larry Brown, Bert Bell Award...
squad to
Super Bowl VIISuper Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1972 regular season...
and had a good performance in the game, recording a key interception from
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Bob GrieseRobert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...
in the
end zoneIn gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
during the second half.
One of his more memorable performances occurred on during a
1966 regular seasonThe 1966 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-8 record from 1965. The Washington Redskins attempted to make Vince Lombardi their new head coach, but Lombardi refused their offer and the Redskins had to settle for Otto Graham...
game against the
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, where he scored two defensive touchdowns: a 62-yard interception return and a 62-yard fumble return. Washington ended up winning the game 72-41. To this day it is the highest scoring game in NFL history.
Owens holds the record for most interception return yards in Redskins history (686) and is second all-time for the Redskins in career interceptions (36). Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He also recovered ten fumbles, returning them for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
After the NFL, Owens finished law school and went to work with the NFL Players Association, serving as the assistant executive director. He also owned his own business, a commercial real estate development company which also represented professional athletes.
Owens is a member of
Alpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity.
http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/aphiaek/page4.htm Married to Patricia since 1965, the couple has two daughters, Robin and Tracy.