The NFL fraternity has lost far too many this week. On Tuesday, the Military Bowl Foundation confirmed that former Washington defensive back Brig Owens died at 79.
Owens was a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1965 where he converted to the safety position after starring at quarterback for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
We’re saddened to share the news of the passing of UC Hall of Famer Brig Owens.
Owens started at QB on consecutive @GoBearcatsFB MVC title teams before a 13-year career at safety in Washington, where he was inducted into the @Commanders Ring of Honor
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— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) June 22, 2022
He’d never play a down for Dallas and was traded to rival Washington just one year later. But that change of scenery is what allowed Owens to enjoy a lengthy career in the National Football League.Â
He’d go on to play 12 seasons in the nation’s capital and is second only to Hall of Famer Darrell Green for the franchise’s interceptions record.
Owens is perhaps best known for being one-half of the first ever interracial roommate pairing in NFL history, when he and tight end Jerry Smith bunked in 1966 for training camp and road games.
Brig Owens spent 12 of his 13 NFL seasons with Washington, becoming one of the best players in franchise history https://t.co/9hpxCA2IGS
— Post Sports (@PostSports) June 22, 2022
Owens was inducted into the University of Cincinnati’s HOF in 1979 and would later enroll in law school in the twilight of his playing career.
He was inducted into Washington’s Ring of Fame in 2012 and named one of the franchise’s 80 greatest players.
Well regarded as one of the classiest men you’d come across, and a man who touched many lives in the Washington community; Brig Owens transitions as a beloved member of the brotherhood that is the NFL.