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Bio
Brig Owens played football and ran track at Fullerton
Community College from 1961 1962. His football coach was Hal
Sherbeck. Brig became team captain in 1962 and won All American
Honors as a QB in that year. He received a number of scholarship
offers from colleges around the country, but chose to attend the
University of Cincinnati because it was one of the few schools that
guaranteed that he would play QB. He became the starting QB his
first year. He credits his high school coaches, Gil Tucker and Hal
Sherbeck, for teaching him the full fundamentals of the game
offensively and defensively, which allowed him to make that
transition to major college football. Brig lead Cincinnati to the
Missouri Valley Championship two years in a row and was elected
team captain in 1964. He was rated as one of the top QBs in the
country and earned NCAA All American Honors. He graduated on time
in 1965. An Award, Brig Owens Offensive Player of the Year,, is
named in his honor at the University of Cincinnati.
Brig Owens is a partner in the Bennett Group, a commercial
real estate development company in Washington, D.C. Prior to
founding the firm, Brig served as assistant executive director and
associate counsel to the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) from 1979
1984. While with the NFLPA, Brig was a member of the negotiating
team that developed a new collective bargaining agreement with the
National Football League. In addition to his responsibility in the
operation of the NFLPA, he developed the Associationns Financial
Planning, Career Counseling, and Employee Assistant Abuse Programs.
Brig also created the Professional Athletes Youth Foundation and
Community Service Department for the NFLPA where he raised over $10
million to implement a Youth Development Program in ten cities
across the Nation. This program was selected by the Department of
Education as one of the top exemplary programs in the United
States.
Brig Owens is a former thirteen-year veteran of the National
Football League and seven-year player representative and defensive
captain for the Washington Redskins. After being drafted by the
Dallas Cowboys in 1965, Brig was traded to the Redskins in 1966 to
begin his twelve-year career as a Redskinss defensive back. Brig
holds the number two spot for interceptions (36) by a Redskin,
holds the career record for most yards on interception returns (686
yds) and most interceptions returns for touchdowns. In addition, he
was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Players in Washington
Redskins history.
Among his many accomplishments, Brig served as a member of
the Central Caribbean Task Force and served on former Vice
President Mondalees Task Force on Youth Employment. In addition, he
has served on the board of the National Bank of Commerce, Big
Brothers of America, University of Cincinnati Presidents Executive
Council, NFL Players Trust Foundation, National Board of Medical
Examiners and Venture Philanthropy Partners. He also developed a
highly recognized Leadership Drug Prevention Program in the
Washington Metro area high schools called Super Leaders, now into
its 26th year. He and his Bennett Group partner were sponsors of an
I Have A Dreamm program which guarantees students a college
education if they stay in school, maintain their grades, and
graduate from high school.
Brig was one of six to receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary
Award in January 1990. The honorees of this prestigious award are
selected because of their commitment to their community and country
over the past twenty five years. He received a Medal of Honor from
Angeles University in the Philippines. In 2008 he received an
Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Cincinnati. He
also received Hall of Fame Honors from Fullerton High School,
Fullerton Community College, and the University of
Cincinnati.
Brig is a published author, graduate of the University of
Cincinnati and Antioch School of Law, and received his Doctorate of
Juris Prudence. Brig is married to his college sweetheart Patricia
and has two daughters, Robin and Tracy, and two grandchildren,
Reyna and Owen.