I am just curious if anyone knows a man named Burgess Owens who was drafted in the 1st round for the Jets in the 1973 Draft. I am too young to have seen him play, but I have a family member who is friends with him and I just got his autograph. I was just wondering if anyone did see him play and what type of player he was. Thanks
all i know is that he went the to U and later played on the raiders when they won the sb in the early 80s
The New York Jets selected Burgess Owens in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami. After seven seasons with the Jets, Owens was traded to Oakland prior to the 1980 season. That season, the Raiders, led by aging quarterback Jim Plunkett, became the first-ever wild-card team to win the Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XIV. Owens was a starter on that team and led the team in tackles. (google search)
Yes, I remember him. He was a starter even as a rookie (which was unusual back then) and a very good player throughout his career. I can't recall why the Jets traded him to the Raiders but I thought it was stupid on the Jets part and Owens ended up being a big reason why the Raiders went to the Super Bowl providing huge help with run support from his safety position leaving the Raiders' corners free to roam with the receivers.
Burgess Owens was the best player on defense for several years on very bad Jets' teams. He was a safety and typically led the team in tackles, as I recall. He was also known as a very clean and respected player. One of my favorites at the time.
You're assessment is right on. Fortunately for the Michael's era Jets, they were able to pick up and even better safety in Darrol Ray a few years later--a human pick machine. The Jets have not had one as good since.
Darrol Ray was excellent, and very adept at returning interceptions. The pick and return he had against Cincinnatti in the playoffs in 1982 was really memorable.
That was the capper in a year full of big returns. Coincidentally, here's a clip from the Jets announcement on Victor Green's retirement today: Green also owns the Jets? all-time single season tackle mark, a record he established in 1996 when he recorded 207 stops (from Jets? coaches? film review). His 24 career interceptions in a Jets? uniform during regular season play are tied for the third-most in team annals, while he retires second on the franchise?s all-time interception return yardage list with 529 yards, only 52 shy of Darrol Ray?s mark of 581 yards.
Burgess Owens was taking pictures at the Jets tailgate in the bubble last year. He would shake your hand and hand you his Super Bowl ring and let you put it on for the picture. Very nice guy, but I was left with questions after the picture. Namely, who the hell are you? Were you on the Jets? You look like you played football, and the name sounds familiar, but I don't remember you..... Of course, I didn't say this to him. I just thought it.
I certainly remember Burgess Owens! I recall him being our starting Free Safety for most of the 70's. He teamed with Shafer Suggs to form probably the best Safety tandem in NY Jets history. One of the things I remember about Owens was his first ever kickoff return went for an 80 yard touchdown. He was always steady and smart. I always wondered why he never went into coaching. Funny this post is on the same day that Victor Green retires...the two both belong in the non-existent NY Jets ring of honor!
Thanks for all of this and I am glad to hear the opinions of people who have seen him play. It sounds like he was a stand-up, classy guy who was also a good player.
Ah, I love 'Old Jets' threads. I remember Burgess Owens very well, especially because when I was a kid I thought he had an exceptionally cool name. When he got traded to the Raiders, I remember my Dad flung the paper on the kitchen table and mumbled, "Son of a b*tch..." Yeah, well, he did that about 3,000 times in his life time, so I lost count after a fashion. :lol: EDIT: Big boo-boo. When my Dad died some years back and I was cleaning out my folks' place, I found tons of yearbooks. I only kept the oldest of the lot: The year Namath was drafted and the year after. Funny, 1968 was missing, and when my Dad was still alive, strangely enough I never asked about why we didn't have it. Anyway, I chucked most everything in a spell of grief at the time. Too bad.
