Cincinnati Football: Bearcats legend Brig Owens passed away

Brigman Owens, former Cincinnati star quarterback and Bearcats Hall of Fame inductee, passed away on Tuesday at 79 years old. After leading the Bearcats to conference championships in 1963 and 1964, Owens played 13 years in the NFL and served as assistant executive director for the NFL Players Association.

Cincinnati Football: Bearcats legend Brig Owens passed away

“Our condolences go out to the Owens family for their loss. Brig was a tremendous student athlete at the University of Cincinnati and a great player for Washington, but what’s most impressive is the impact he had off the field and his commitment to helping young people,” athletics director John Cunningham said via Cincinnati Athletics.

Before arriving in Cincinnati, Owens started his career at Fullerton College in California and earned All-American honors. The Texas native decided to transfer after two seasons and quickly took over as starting quarterback, halfback and kicker with the Bearcats, racking up 556 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 1963.

Owens led the Bearcats to a 16-5 record and back to back Missouri Valley Conference titles before graduating in 1965 and getting drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round. A year later, Owens was traded to Washington and went on to start 123 games at safety for more than a decade.

He was inducted into the Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979 and received an honorary doctoral degree from the university in 2008. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Owens family and loved ones as the Bearcats community mourns the loss of a legend. Rest In Peace to Brig Owens.