Terrell Eldorado Owens ( ) (born on December 7,
1973 in ) is an
American football
wide receiver for the
Buffalo Bills of the
National Football League. A
six-time
Pro Bowl selection, and holder of
the league single-game reception record, Owens has been one of the
dominant receivers of his era.
[51009]
As productive as he has been, Owens has been equally controversial,
creating firestorms with each team he has played for as a
professional.
Owens played college football and basketball at the University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga
, and was selected in the third round of the
1996 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Owens was
traded to the
Philadelphia
Eagles in 2004 after a spat with 49ers front office members.
Two years later, he was released and signed to another large pact
by the
Dallas Cowboys, only to be
given his unconditional release on March 4, 2009 and signed by the
Bills several days later.
Popularly known by his initials,
T.O., Owens is
both renowned and reviled for his flamboyant touchdown
celebrations, earning him many fines and his teams' frequent
penalties for his
end zone theatrics.
Early life
Terrell
Owens was born to Will Hughes and Heather Fyfe in Alexander City,
Alabama
. He grew up with three other siblings and
was raised by his mother and grandmother. He enjoyed watching
football, especially his favorite player,
Jerry Rice. However, Owens’ grandmother initially
forbade him from playing sports until high school. Owens attended
Benjamin Russell High School, where he excelled in football,
baseball and basketball and later became one of the best receivers
in the league.
Family
Terrell Owens became a father to Terique Owens on September 25,
1999. Owens also has another child, birthdate unknown, named Atlin
Owens; as of 2009, Atlin is still a toddler. Atlin, Owens's second
son, was asked to model for
Famous Stars and Straps (FSAS)
Spring ‘09 clothing line.
College career
While
enrolled at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga
, Owens played basketball
and ran track.
Owens also had the opportunity to play at the
1995 NCAA
Basketball Tournament. Outside of basketball, Owens also played
football. While playing in college, Owens wore the #80 jersey to
honor his idol,
Jerry Rice. He was not a
distinguished athlete at first, but managed to make a breakthrough
after becoming a starter during his sophomore year. Owens caught 38
passes for 724 yards and eight touchdowns during his sophomore
year, and 34 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns during his
junior year. Owens faced double coverage every week during his
senior year, and was limited to 43 receptions for 667 yards and one
touchdown. Owens previously held the single season receptions
record at Tennessee-Chattanooga until it was broken in 2007 by
Alonzo Nix. He also participated in the
Senior Bowl, a college all-star game comprised
of college seniors, in preparation for the NFL Draft.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
Based as much on his size and speed as on his demonstrated ability,
the
NFL's
San
Francisco 49ers drafted Owens in the third round of the
1996 NFL Draft. Owens played his
first professional game against the
New Orleans Saints, where he served as a
member of the 49ers' special teams. His first catches were recorded
against the
Carolina Panthers on
September 22, 1996 (two catches for a net six yards). Against the
Atlanta Falcons a week later Owens
had a 17-yard kick return and one catch for 26 yards. His first
touchdown came on October 20 against the
Cincinnati Bengals; in the fourth quarter
he caught a 45-yard touchdown throw from
Steve Young that tied a game
eventually won by the Niners 28-21.
In the
1997 NFL season, Owens became
a big name for the 49ers, when
Jerry Rice
went down early in the season with a
torn ACL. He and
quarterback
Steve
Young helped the 49ers win 13 games that season; Owens finished
with 936 receiving yards and eight touchdowns; he added a touchdown
in San Francisco's playoff win over the
Minnesota Vikings.
1998 was another 12-4 season for the Niners and the first
1,000-yard year for Owens, as he caught 67 balls for 1,097 yards
and fourteen touchdowns; he even had a rushing touchdown in October
against the
Rams. In the Wildcard
playoff game the Niners faced the
Green Bay Packers, who'd beaten them five
straight times, three of them playoff games. Owens struggled,
dropping a number of passes due to being briefly blinded by
late-afternoon sun. Despite this
Steve Young kept throwing to
Owens and he redeemed himself by catching the game-winning
touchdown (immortalized by the impassioned game call of Niners
radio play-by-play announcer
Joe
Starkey) for a 30-27 comeback victory.
The following season was a disaster for San Francisco, as
Steve Young was lost for the
season in a 24-10 win over the
Arizona
Cardinals. The Niners fell from grace after a 3-1 start to a
4-12 finish; Owens in that season had 60 catches for 754 yards and
four touchdowns. Young retired after the 1999 season after he was
unable to pass medical tests due to a concussion sustained that
season, and
Jeff Garcia was named the
49ers' starting quarterback. In 2000, the 49ers only managed to win
six games. However, Owens had a record-breaking day on December 17,
2000 with 20 catches for 283 yards in a 17-0 Niners win over the
Chicago Bears. This single-game
reception total surpassed the 50-year-old mark held by
Tom Fears. Owens finished the year with 1,451
receiving yards and thirteen touchdowns.
The 2001 49ers managed to compile a 12-4 record but were defeated
by the Packers in a wild-card playoff game. Owens finished with
sixteen touchdowns catches (exactly half the 32 thrown by
Jeff Garcia) and 1,412 receiving yards. The
Niners followed up in 2002 with a 10-6 record and their 17th career
NFC West title; in this season Owens had
100 catches for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Niners hosted
the
New York Giants in the Wildcard
playoff round, and after falling behind 38-14 the Niners erupted to
25 unanswered points; Owens had two touchdown catches and caught
two 2-point conversions in the Niners' 39-38 win. However they were
shot down 31-6 against the
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, who held Owens to only four catches for 35
yards.
Coach
Steve Mariucci was fired and
former Seahawks coach
Dennis
Erickson took over. The ensuing season in 2003 proved subpar as
the Niners finished 7-9. It was here that Owens decided to leave.
Immediately after breaking off all ties to the team, Owens appeared
in an interview for
Playboy
magazine, where he created controversy after insinuating that
Garcia was
homosexual.
Although Owens was eager to leave the 49ers, the 49ers asserted
that Owens's previous agent, David Joseph, had missed the deadline
to
void the final years of his contract
with the team. The
NFLPA and Owens
disputed this assertion, contending that the deadline referred to
by the 49ers was not the applicable deadline. On March 4, 2004, San
Francisco, believing it still held Owens's rights, attempted to
trade Owens to the
Baltimore Ravens
for a second round pick in the 2004 draft. However, Owens
challenged the 49ers' right to make the deal. Owens assumed that he
would become a free agent on March 3, and did not believe that the
earlier deadline was applicable. Hence, he negotiated with other
teams in advance of his expected free agency, and reached a
contract agreement with the
Philadelphia Eagles, whose fan base
strongly supported Owens in his desire to play for the team. The
NFLPA filed a grievance on his behalf.
Before an
arbitrator could make a ruling
on Owens's grievance, the NFL and the three teams involved in the
controversy reached a settlement on March 16, 2004. The Ravens got
their second-round pick back from San Francisco, and the 49ers in
turn received a conditional fifth-round pick and defensive end
Brandon Whiting from the Eagles in exchange for the rights to
Owens. Owens's contract with the Eagles was reported to be worth
$49 million for seven years, including a $10 million signing
bonus.
In September 2004, Terrell Owens released a purported
autobiography:
Catch This! Going
Deep with the NFL's Sharpest Weapon. The 288-page book was
ghostwritten by Stephen Singular.
Philadelphia Eagles
The 2004 season got off to a great start for the Eagles, who
started 7-0 and 13-1, as well as for Owens, who averaged a
touchdown catch per game before his injury. Owens gained a
tremendous amount of popularity throughout the league, especially
among the Eagles' fan base. On December 19, 2004, Owens sustained a
severely sprained ankle and a fractured
fibula when
Dallas
Cowboys safety
Roy Williams took him down
with a
horse-collar tackle;
Owens's injury was one of the major reasons that the horse-collar
tackle was later prohibited. With the Eagles heading to
Super Bowl XXXIX, Owens shocked the media
by announcing he would play no matter what, even though team
doctors stated that his injury would take several more weeks to
heal. Owens's trainer, James "Buddy" Primm, helped bring Owens back
much sooner with the use of Micro Current and a
hyperbaric chamber. Skeptics were silenced
when Owens started the game and played well; the result was nine
receptions and 122 yards, though the Eagles still lost to the
New England Patriots. After the
game, Owens criticized the media by saying that a player like
Brett Favre would have been praised for
such bravery.
On April 2005, Owens announced that he had hired a new agent,
Drew Rosenhaus, and indicated that he
would seek to have his contract with the Eagles renegotiated. Owens
made $9 million in 2004 (most of which being bonus money as his
base salary was only $660,000), and was slated to make $4.5 million
in 2005. This two year amount did not place Owens in the top 10
paid wide receivers playing. He also made a comment to the effect
that he "wasn't the guy who got tired in the
Super Bowl"; the remark, thought by most to
be directed at quarterback
Donovan
McNabb, caused a controversy between them to heat up. Owens has
always claimed the remark was not directed towards McNabb, but in
regard to his obsessive diet and workout programs. On July 1,
Owens's relationship with the Eagles became even more tense after
Eagles owner
Jeffrey Lurie and club
president
Joe Banner denied Owens
permission to play
basketball in a summer
league under the auspices of the
NBA's
Sacramento Kings.
Owens's contract controversy heated up as training camp drew
nearer. Owens, with the negotiating help of Rosenhaus, continued to
lobby for a new contract. Owens and Rosenhaus met with Eagles head
coach
Andy Reid and president Joe Banner,
but no agreement was reached (this was in line with the Eagles'
policy against contract renegotiations). Owens threatened to hold
out of training camp until a deal was reached, but reported to camp
on time. When the 2005 football season began, Owens was in the
second year of a seven-year, $49 million contract. However, the
contract was heavily back-loaded, and while the $49 million figure
was routinely touted by the sports media as an example of Owens's
greed, the money guaranteed to him was under the annual average for
a top-tier wide receiver. During this time Terrell gained his
record.
During the season, Owens continued to voice his displeasure. After
more remarks about Eagles management and
Donovan McNabb, Owens was suspended four
games without pay and then deactivated for the rest of the season.
(See
Controversy
Section.) The next season, Owens was released by the
Philadelphia Eagles franchise and eventually signed with the Dallas
Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 14, 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles released Owens. Four
days later, on March 18, 2006,
Jerry
Jones announced that the
Dallas
Cowboys had signed Owens to a 3 year, $25 million deal,
including a $5 million signing bonus, with a $5 million first year
salary.
Owens returned to the field during the Cowboys'
2006 season opener against the
Jacksonville Jaguars. While the game
ended in a Jaguars victory, Owens recorded 8 receptions for 80
yards and one touchdown. The following week, Owens damaged one of
his finger bones, and was forced to leave the game. It was later
determined that Owens would require
surgery
to correct the injury, and require anywhere from two to four weeks
to recuperate. Days after Owens promised his fans he would return
to play against
Philadelphia
Eagles, he overdosed on his medication (See
Controversy Section). After
a bye week giving him time to recuperate, Owens played in the
following game against the
Tennessee
Titans, where he accounted for 88 receiving yards as well as
three touchdowns.
The following week, Owens made his highly anticipated return to
Philadelphia, where he played his former teammate, Donovan McNabb.
Upon his return, Owens was met by a hail of angry cheers and
taunts, including chants of "O.D." throughout the game. In fact,
when Owens dropped a pass during the pregame warmups, the Eagles
fans cheered. Despite pregame talk about a weak Eagles secondary,
Owens struggled throughout the game. Owens had three catches for 45
yards, while the Cowboys went on to lose, 38–24.
After the
game, according to a report from a stadium employee at Lincoln
Financial Field
, Owens ran into the locker room following the 38–24
loss and launched into a tirade, yelling and asking why the Cowboys
bothered signing him in the offseason, indicating that they should
have thrown the ball towards him more. Owens later confirmed
this in a post-practice interview. After the Cowboys defeated the
Atlanta Falcons, 38-28, owner Jerry
Jones revealed that Owens had injured a tendon on one of his
fingers (the same finger that he broke in an unrelated incident a
few weeks earlier). The doctors recommended season-ending surgery,
but Owens elected to risk permanent damage to his finger and
decided to wait until the end of the season to repair the damage.
"There's no question about what he's willing to do for his team",
Jones said. On January 10, 2007, it was announced that Owens fired
his publicist, Kim Ethridge. The explanation given was that the two
shared some "harsh words".
Owens led the league in regular season with thirteen touchdown
receptions. On March 1, 2007, he underwent surgery twice to repair
his right ring finger.
In the 2007 season, Owens and the Cowboys began to live up to their
potential. On November 18, Owens set a new career-high and tied a
franchise record, with four touchdown catches against the
Washington Redskins. With his TD catch
against Green Bay on November 29, Owens became the first player in
NFL history with at least 1 touchdown catch and six receptions in
seven straight games. Also with this win, the Cowboys clinched a
playoff berth for the second consecutive season, making this the
first time Owens would participate in back-to-back postseasons.
Owens was one of the starting wide receivers to represent the
NFC in the
Pro Bowl
along with
Arizona Cardinals wide
receiver
Larry Fitzgerald. On
January 9, Owens made the All-Pro team along with teammates
Jason Witten and
DeMarcus Ware. On December 22 in a week 16
game against the
Carolina
Panthers, Owens caught his 15th touchdown catch of the season
to set a new Cowboy-record for touchdown catches in a season.
During this game, however, Owens suffered a high ankle sprain after
making a catch in the second quarter, which kept him out of the
rest of the regular season. Owens was leading the league in
receiving yards and was 2nd in receiving touchdowns at the time. He
finished the season with 81 receptions, 15 touchdowns, and 1355
receiving yards, as the team finished 13-3 and clinched the NFC's
top seed.
Owens returned for the divisional playoff game against the
Giants, where he caught four passes for 49
yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys lost the game, however, 21-17
and Owens broke down crying during the post game press conference
in a now-infamous incident.
In the
Pro Bowl, Owens caught 7 passes for
101 yards and 2 touchdowns in an NFC win. Despite his efforts,
Adrian Peterson was named
MVP.
In the
Cowboys second game of the season, the last Monday Night game at Texas Stadium
, Owens passed Cris
Carter to move to second in touchdowns behind former teammate
Jerry Rice.
Owens realtionhip with QB Tony Romo was reported to fall apart
during the 2008 season. Owens was frustrated with the lack of balls
thrown his way and was jealous of the relationship Romo had with
Pro Bowl Tight End Jason Witten. After his release from the Cowboys
Owens publically blamed Romo and Offensive Cordinator Jason Garrett
for his release.
The Cowboys released Owens on March 4, 2009. Owens later said that
Jerry Jones had assured him that he
would be remaining with the team and that he was blindsided by his
release.
Buffalo Bills
On March 8, 2009, the Buffalo Bills signed Owens to a 1-year, $6.5
million contract. Owens had his first catch with the Bills when he
had a 27-yard play on a 3rd-and-1 in the 25-24 loss to the New
England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. With that catch, he passed
former Bills receiver
Andre Reed on the
all-time Top 20 career leaders list for pass receptions. Owens
debuted with 3 catches for 45 yards in the game. Owens caught his
first TD pass with Buffalo in a 33-20 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 20,
2009. Owens had his best game with the Bills in a 15-18 loss to the
Jacksonville Jaguars. Owens had 9 receptions for 194 yards and a
touchdown. Owens and Fitzpatrick set a Bill's record for longest TD
reception when Fitzpatrick connected with Owens for a 98 yard TD.
The 98 yard TD reception is Owens longest TD reception.
Controversy
Controversy with Eagles
During his
weekly Philadelphia
sports radio show on WIP
prior to the game against the Dallas
Cowboys, Owens stated if he could return to the 2004 off-season
he would not have signed with the Eagles. After the Dallas
game, in which the Eagles were badly beaten, Owens was seen by
Philadelphia Daily
News reporters wearing a
Michael
Irvin throwback football jersey on the way to the Eagles
airplane flight. Irvin was a hall-of-fame wide receiver for the
Cowboys during the '90s when the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry was perhaps
the most intense.
As a result, Owens's appearance in the jersey was seen as
provocative in the Philadelphia press and by many fans. According
to sources and
Andy Reid's post-game press
conference, none of Owens's teammates or coaches challenged him.
The following Friday, on Owens's radio show, he stated he did not
care what the
fan thought of him
wearing the jersey and that he would wear what he chooses. It is
well known that Owens and Irvin are good friends.
On November 3, 2005,
Hugh Douglas, former
Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End, acting as an ambassador for team
management, started to have an argument with Owens in front of the
team in the locker room before practice. Soon, this led to a short
fight between the two.
That afternoon Owens made a number of controversial statements
during an
ESPN interview. In the interview,
Owens voiced his frustrations of the Eagles not recognizing his
100th career TD. He referred to the Eagles as a classless
organization for the way they behaved. The Eagles have since stated
that the Club does not recognize individual achievements.
When asked whether or not he agreed with a comment made by ESPN
analyst and good friend Michael Irvin, Owens agreed to the
statement, saying that he thought the Eagles would be undefeated if
Brett Favre were on the team instead of
Donovan McNabb. Owens went on to
expand on the point, calling Brett Favre a warrior. Many people
took offense at this, since it appeared as though Owens was
claiming that McNabb, who was playing with a
sports hernia among other injuries, was
not a warrior.
This interview effectively ended Owens's
career in Philadelphia
.
During his weekly news conference the following day, Eagles head
coach Andy Reid said that Owens had been suspended for four
games—starting with the 17-10 loss to the Washington Redskins on
November 6—for conduct detrimental to the team. The four games
represented the maximum amount of time that a player could be
suspended without pay for such conduct under NFL rules. After Owens
served his suspension, the Eagles deactivated him from their roster
for the remainder of the season, so that they wouldn't be forced to
release him and let him sign on with another team.
On
November 8, Terrell Owens and his agent Drew Rosenhaus held a news conference at
Owens's Moorestown,
New Jersey
residence. Terrell apologized to the team
(including Donovan McNabb) and the fans. After Owens read his
statement, Rosenhaus answered questions from reporters. However,
Rosenhaus answered many questions, such as "What have you done for
T.O. besides get him suspended?" with a "next question." He blamed
the
media for Owens's current employment
status. In his autobiography, "T.O.", Owens did state that most of
the apology was forced upon him and not sincere.
On the grounds that deactivation cannot be used as a means of
punishment, the
NFLPA and Owens
appealed the Eagles punishment to an arbitrator. On November 23,
2005, Terrell Owens's season was effectively ended after
arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled that the
Eagles were justified in suspending him
for four games and that they did not have to activate him after the
suspension (the Eagles would deactivate him game by game, with pay,
for the final five games of the season, but that so long as he was
paid, he was not technically suspended). The NFLPA subsequently
said they would make sure Bloch never arbitrated with them
again.
Desperate Housewives skit
On
November 15, 2004, Owens, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles uniform,
appeared with popular TV actress Nicollette Sheridan (of the ABC series Desperate Housewives, in character as Edie
Britt) in an introductory skit which opened that evening's
Monday Night Football
telecast, in which Owens and the Eagles played the Cowboys at Texas Stadium
. Some observers (especially then-
Indianapolis Colts coach
Tony Dungy) condemned the skit as being sexually
suggestive because of Sheridan removing a towel (see video), and
ABC later apologized for airing it. However, on March 14, 2005, the
Federal Communications
Commission ruled that the skit did not violate decency
standards, because it contained no outright nudity or foul
language.
2006 Hydrocodone overdose
Some media outlets in Dallas reported on the morning of September
27, 2006 that Owens had tried to kill himself by intentionally
ingesting an
overdose of
hydrocodone, a pain medication. A
police report filed on the night of September 26
seemed to confirm the attempt, saying that Owens's publicist, Kim
Etheridge, found him unresponsive with an empty bottle of pain
killers, pried two pills from his mouth, and called
9-1-1, after which an
ambulance transported him four blocks from his
Deep Ellum condo to
Baylor University Medical
Center. The event became a national news sensation but was soon
overshadowed by the
Platte Canyon High School
Shooting which had occurred only hours later.
According to the police report, Owens and Etheridge both said he
was
depressed, and Owens
answered "yes" when asked whether he had intended to harm himself.
Owens's
publicist, however, refuted the
report, stating that Owens had suffered an
allergic reaction to the medication
combined with a
dietary
supplement. ESPN reported that about half the police report was
blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by
prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose."
Owens left the hospital later on September 27. At a
news conference after his release, Owens
denied having made a
suicide
attempt, stating that he expected to join the team for practice
the next morning. He stated that he was "not depressed" and was
"very happy to be here", and denied that doctors had
pumped his stomach, calling speculation to
that effect "definitely untrue." The press conference took place
after Owens had run routes and caught passes with the Cowboys at
the team's practice facility in
Valley Ranch.
Owens's publicist lashed out at the police and said they took
advantage of him. Notably, Owens himself made no such statements,
and at his press conference praised both the police and medical
personnel who treated him. Following the publicist's statement, the
president of the Dallas Police Association (which represents
rank-and-file police officers in Dallas) demanded an apology from
Owens and his publicist saying "The officers reacted because they
were called to this location to do this job. Now they’re being put
under a microscope by some fancy little football person. Give me a
break. Those officers are 10 times better than this man. ... We
police officers don’t go out to these calls and make stuff up".
Then on Thursday, September 28, the Dallas Police Department
reported the incident to be an "accidental overdose" and ended
their investigation.
Hall of
Fame
Wide Receiver Michael Irvin defended his friend Terrell
Owens on ESPN, telling viewers "if you're bad at life, you're bad
at death too".
Spitting incident
After the December 16, 2006 game against the
Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Falcons cornerback
DeAngelo Hall claimed that Owens spat
in his face after a play early in the game. Game officials and
reporters were unaware of the incident and Owens was not asked
about it until his post-game interview with the
NFL Network, when he confirmed it. Owens said,
"I got frustrated and I apologize for that. It was a situation
where he kept hugging me and getting in my face. He had a lot of
words, I didn't. I just wanted to come and prove I’m not a guy to
be schemed with." Hall said that he lost all respect for Owens. The
NFL fined Owens $35,000 for the incident. Within a week of the
incident,
Deion Sanders served as a
mediator for Owens and Hall, and the two reportedly "made
up."
Bill Parcells Retirement
On May 15, 2007, to begin the
Dallas
Cowboys' spring mini-camp under new head coach
Wade Phillips, Terrell Owens was questioned by
ESPN about what he learned during his
one-season experience with former head coach
Bill Parcells. T.O. was reported to have said,
"Nothing, really." Afterwards, Owens and other teammates had high
praise for Phillips, seeming to forget about Parcells quickly.
"Everybody knows he's a laid-back coach, obviously a little
different than Bill. ... I don't think you have to be a
disciplinarian to get your point across", Owens said. "I think
having a new head coach is good for everybody. It's a little bit
more relaxed. I think you can tell that by the atmosphere in the
locker room. I don't think I just have to really spell it out for
you, but I think it's very evident."
Touchdown celebrations
Owens is known for his flamboyant celebrations after scoring
touchdowns, some of which have resulted in fines by the NFL front
office.
Celebrations for San Francisco
- While playing the Atlanta
Falcons on January 9, 1999, Owens caught a long touchdown pass
and proceeded to mimic the "dirty bird", the Falcons’
signature touchdown dance with Owens performing a slashing of the
throat gesture at the end of the dance.
- On September 24, 2000 in Dallas, Terrell Owens showed off his
excitement after his two touchdown catches
by running from the endzone to midfield and celebrating on the
Dallas Cowboys' famous star logo. The
second time Owens made a trip to the star, then Cowboys safety George Teague hit him during the celebration.
Teague would be ejected for his actions, while Owens was suspended
for a week by his head coach and was
fined $24,000 which was equal to a week's pay. The celebration and
subsequent hit were named one of the ten most memorable moments in
the history of Texas
Stadium
by ESPN in 2008.
- During a Monday Night
Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2002, Owens
pulled a Sharpie marker out of his
sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown, and then
gave the ball to his financial
adviser, who was in the stands. He was criticized by Seahawks
coach Mike Holmgren but was not fined
by the league for this stunt. Steve
Sabol of NFL Films praised the stunt by noting the Niners (who
won the game 28-21 as Owens had six catches for 84 yards and two
scores) improved their passing game following the stunt.
- On December 15, 2002, in a home game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens scored a
touchdown and ran to a row of cheerleaders beyond the endzone. He
reached out and asked to borrow two pompoms from a 49ers cheerleader, which he then playfully shook,
doing his own brief spontaneous routine before dropping them to the
ground.
- On November 17, 2003, the 49ers hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Monday night
game. Owens wore a wristband with the words "The Answer" emblazoned
on it. Eight minutes into the game, he caught a 61-yard touchdown
pass from Tim Rattay, and pointed to the
wristband to draw attention to it. After the game (won by San
Francisco 30-14), Owens was asked by a reporter the significance of
the slogan on the wristband, and he replied: "Because I am The
Answer." "The Answer" is the widely known nickname of NBA star
guard Allen Iverson.
- On December 14, 2003, Owens scored a touchdown in a loss at
Cincinnati, ran to a snowpile at the edge of the field, and threw
snow at the fans.
Celebrations for Philadelphia
- The "Bird Dance", "The Bird" or "Wing Flap" became T.O.'s
trademark dance with the Eagles. T.O. did the "Bird Dance"
frequently during the 2004 season after a big play or TD. His
touchdown celebration was first imitated in the Eagles' first loss
of the season at Pittsburgh. After scoring on a reverse, Hines Ward imitated T.O.'s "Bird Dance." After
playing the Eagles in Super Bowl
XXXIX, New England players did a version of the "Bird Dance"
with their celebrations.
- He imitated and mocked the trademark pre-game ritual dance of
Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis after scoring a
touchdown while playing against the Ravens
in the 2004 season.
- After
catching a touchdown from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb during a game in Cleveland
, Owens ran through the end zone and threw the
football at a sign that said, "T.O. has B.O.." After scoring another touchdown, he
tore down a sign that said, "Takes One to Know One."
- After scoring his 100th career touchdown in Philadelphia, he
pulled a towel from his waist, folded it over his arm, and then
placed the football in the palm of his hand, holding it over his
shoulder and pretending to serve it up to the opposing team like a
waiter would present a meal.
- After scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in 2004, Owens celebrated by
doing six sit-ups in the end zone, one for each touchdown he had
scored at that point in the 2004 season.
Celebrations for Dallas
- After catching a touchdown against the Washington Redskins on November 5, 2006,
Owens pretended to take a nap, using the football as a pillow. The
Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration".
- On the Thanksgiving
Day game against the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers on November 23, 2006, Owens, after catching a pass
for a touchdown, dropped the ball in an oversized Salvation Army Red Kettle, donating the ball
to the Salvation Army. (Since 1997, the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving
Day game halftime show has traditionally started the Salvation
Army's Red Kettle Christmas Campaign.) About the touchdown
celebration, Owens was quoted as saying, "That was my donation. I
hope it's worth as much as the fine."
- On December 16, 2006, Owens first introduced his trademark
"T.O." symbol with his arms after scoring his second touchdown
against the Atlanta Falcons. It has
since become a frequent celebration after Owens scores.
- On September 16, 2007, Owens mocked Bill Belichick after catching a touchdown
against the Miami Dolphins, by hiding
behind a field goal post and holding the football to his face in a
video camera fashion, as if secretly spying and
filming the game. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for
"excessive celebration". On September 19, 2007, the league fined
Owens $7,500 for the celebration. According to Owens, he was only
fined because he used the ball as a prop.
- On November 4, 2007, against his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Owens flapped his
wings, mimicking the dance he did while with the Eagles. This,
coupled with Owens's tumultuous stay with the Eagles and his
current tenure with the Cowboys (an Eagles division rival), earned
the boos of the crowd. After the game, Owens was quoted as saying,
"There's a lot of love in those boos."
- On November 30, 2007, Owens celebrated a touchdown on Thursday
Night Football against the Green Bay Packers by jumping on the wall
behind the endzone, grabbing a fans popcorn, and dumping it into
his helmet. "Get your popcorn ready."
- On September 7, 2008, Owens celebrated his first touchdown of
the 2008 NFL Season against the Cleveland Browns by preparing himself like
an Olympic sprinter ready to explode out of the blocks. Fox Sports play by play man Joe Buck suggested the celebration may be homage to
the Olympics and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards
for "excessive celebration." The next touchdown T.O. scored he
ducked his head down before he got into the endzone as if mimicking
a sprinter's shoulder dip at the end of a race.
Professional Statistics
Year |
Team |
G |
GS |
Rec
||Yards ||AVG ||LG ||TD
|
1996 |
San Francisco 49ers |
16 |
10 |
35 |
520 |
14.9 |
46t |
4 |
1997 |
San Francisco 49ers |
16 |
15 |
60 |
936 |
15.6 |
56t |
8 |
1998 |
San Francisco 49ers |
16 |
10 |
67 |
1,097 |
16.4 |
79t |
14 |
1999 |
San Francisco 49ers |
14 |
14 |
60 |
754 |
12.6 |
36 |
4 |
2000 |
San Francisco 49ers |
14 |
13 |
97 |
1,451 |
15.0 |
69t |
13 |
2001 |
San Francisco 49ers |
16 |
16 |
93 |
1,412 |
15.4 |
60t |
16 |
2002 |
San Francisco 49ers |
14 |
14 |
100 |
1,300 |
13.0 |
76t |
13 |
2003 |
San Francisco 49ers |
15 |
15 |
80 |
1,102 |
13.8 |
75t |
9 |
2004 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
14 |
14 |
77 |
1,200 |
15.6 |
59t |
14 |
2005 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
7 |
7 |
47 |
763 |
16.2 |
91t |
6 |
2006 |
Dallas Cowboys |
16 |
15 |
85 |
1,180 |
13.9 |
56t |
13 |
2007 |
Dallas Cowboys |
15 |
15 |
81 |
1,355 |
16.7 |
52t |
15 |
2008 |
Dallas Cowboys |
16 |
16 |
69 |
1,052 |
15.2 |
75t |
10
|
2009 |
Buffalo Bills |
11 |
11 |
40 |
659 |
16.5 |
98 |
3
|
Tot. |
(14 years) |
198 |
183 |
977 |
14,488 |
14.8 |
98t |
142 |
NFL records and career notables
- NFL RECORDS
- Holds NFL record 20 receptions in a single game against the
Bears
- CAREER NOTABLES
- Through 14 seasons, has 144 total touchdowns (141 receiving),
14,685 receiving yards, 986 receptions, 255 rushing yards, and 3
rushing touchdowns
- Averaged one touchdown per game in 2001, 2004, and 2007
- Has had nine 1,000 yard seasons, including five consecutive
(2000–2004)
- Reached 100 catches in only 14 games in 2002
- Led League in receiving touchdowns in 2001, 2002, and 2006
- Third all-time in receiving touchdowns behind Jerry Rice and
Randy Moss
- Currently, the only player in NFL history to score a TD against
all 32 NFL teams
Other works
Owens is depicted in a photographic work by contemporary
African-American artist Hank Willis Thomas entitled
Liberation
of T.O.: Ain't no way I'm go'n in back ta'work fa'massa in dat darn
field (2004).
The work was featured in "Frequency", the
Studio Museum
in Harlem
's 2006 exhibition of emerging artists.
Owens rapped in a single titled "I'm Back", available for download
on his website.
Outside of his football career, Owens also appeared in various
commercials, television shows, and films. Owens played himself, as
a wide receiver wearing #82 for the fictional Miami Sharks, in the
1999 film
Any Given
Sunday.
In 2003 he appeared in a commercial for the
ESPY Awards where he caught a home run
ball from Barry Bonds in McCovey Cove
. Owens appeared in an episode of
Punk'd, starring
Ashton Kutcher, which is based on his
November 19, 2005 suspension.
In 2006, Owens wrote
Little
T Learns to Share, a children's' book which encourages
children to share.
Owens appeared in the 2008 NBA All-Star celebrity game (wearing
number 81) and scored 18 points including a dunk, the first in the
game. He also became the MVP of the game, despite showing up in the
middle of the second quarter missing about 12 minutes. His team was
down by as much as 10 before he came but ended up winning,
51-50.
In August 2008, Owens was featured in the pilot episode of the web
series
FACETIME, on
My Damn Channel. He and
Three 6 Mafia interview each other in the
episode.
In September 2008, Terrell Owens became the co-host of
"Inside The
Huddle", a one-hour player commentary show along with wide
receiver
Sam Hurd.
The show was
broadcast on KRLD-FM
- 105.3 FM The Fan, a radio station in
Dallas, and regionally on Time Warner
Cable, ESPN2, and Video on Demand
service.
He starred in a summer 2009
reality
show on
VH1, dubbed
The T.O. Show; the show followed Owens and his
"best friends and publicists" as they re-evaluated Owens's personal
life.
Owens appeared in the NBA All-Star celebrity game again in 2009
scoring 17 points including two
alley-oops, to secure his second
consecutive MVP award.
In June 2009, Owens starred in ABC's reincarnation of
The Superstars, a sports competition show from
the 70s where celebrities are paired with professional athletes.
The first episode is rumored to have ended in controversy, as
evidenced by a leaked clip of partner supermodel
Joanna Krupa calling Owens a "prima
donna".
The Superstars (2009 ABC reality show/contest)
On January 6, 2009,
Variety
reported that
Juma Entertainment
and
Blue Entertainment Sports TV
would produce a six-week series on ABC starting on June 23, 2009
featuring pairing of celebrities and athletes with one pair being
eliminated each week.
Principal location filming took place in the
Bahamas
. Owens was one of the athletes of the show
paired with supermodel
Joanna
Krupa.
The show did nothing to help the reputation of T.O. The pair was
the main attraction of the first few weeks of the competition. The
show featured
Supermodel Joanna Krupa displeased with the performance of
her teammate, Terrell Owens. This occurs in the first episode,
during an elimination competition involving the obstacle course in
which Mr. Owens gets tangled in the cargo net obstacle and loses a
race. Owens/Krupa then go into a final race to determine who goes
home. Although Owens performed better this time, Cortese stayed
close enough behind him that Krupa was unable to outrace Leslie and
Owens/Krupa were the first team eliminated from the competition.
Krupa continued to vent her frustration and disappointment in
Owens's performance well after the race was over, stating that she
expected better results from such a well-known athlete. They had
lost a kayak race earlier. A better performance in any of the
events (the duathlon, in which they finished middle-of-the-pack,
two kayak races that they lost, and two obstacle course races that
they lost) would have permitted them to stay in the competition.
However, there was no explanation as to why Owens/Krupa with their
fourth-place finish (20 points ahead of two teams that tied for
fifth place) were even in a "tiebreak" situation to begin with, and
the show was also silent on what tiebreaker separated the two
fifth-place teams, sending one to the obstacle course automatically
while putting the other in a "rubber match" kayak race against
Owens/Krupa who clearly finished 20 points ahead of the fifth-place
teams in the standings.
In the second episode, a team is disbanded due to injury and Owens
and Krupa are allowed back on the show to compete in their place.
Jennifer Capriati and Dan Cortese withdraw from the competition due
to injury that
Jennifer Capriati
and
Dan Cortese sustained during the
show.
The Owens and Krupa team left the show on the third episode. T.O.
decided to bow out and report to Buffalo camp, citing his
responsibility to his team, teammates, and Buffalo fans. He was
further criticized and cursed by his partner for being a bad
teammate.
The T.O. Show (VH1-reality
television)
In the summer of 2009 VH1 premiered The T.O. Show, which followed
Terrell Owens in his personal life off the football field. The show
has proven to be a ratings hit with over 1.5 million viewers per
week. On September 9, 2009 VH1 announced its plans to renew its
contract to air The T.O. Show for a second season. The series will
resume production after Owens’ 2009 football season with the
Buffalo Bills. He will again be faced with a professional dilemma:
deciding to continue with the Bills or searching for another
football team. There is also talk about pursuing ventures following
the completion of his football career and following his romantic
interests. Kita Williams and Monique Jackson, the other stars of
the show and Terrell’s marketing and publicity experts, also return
to the series providing guidance in both his personal and
professional lives. As Jeff Olde the EVP of Original Programming
and Production at VH1 stated, “Terrell has been a great asset to
the VH1 team and we’re thrilled to have him back for another
season. He is a compelling figure to watch both on and off the
field and we hope to continue to watch his life evolve beyond
football for many seasons to come.”
Terrell Owens - iPhone App (Official App)
In November 2009, Terrell signed to create an iPhone application
with Rock Software. The same company that built fellow friend Chad
Ochocinco's App.
References
-
http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2008/08/15/terrell-owens-sonatlin-is-a-model/
- Pasquarelli, Len. Justs say no, Eagles are saying publicly.
ESPN.com,
July 5, 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- Owens is finally released by Eagles, NFL.com,
March 14, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- Willis, George. Not the T.O. show, New York Post,
October 9, 2006. Retrieved December 20 2006.
- T.O. won't get a new QB versus Houston,
NFL.com, October 9, 2006. Retrieved December 20 2006.
- T.O.'s finger injury likely permanent, Jones says -
The Philadelphia Inquirer,
December 17, 2006
- Owens Blindsided By Release ESPN, March 29,
2009
- Bills sign Owens to one-year, $6.5 million
deal, NFL.com, March 8, 2009. Retrieved August 18,
2009.
- Weekly Top 20 - Through Week 1 Pro
Footbal Hall of Fame
- Owens-Douglas fistfight contributed to
suspension. ESPN.com, November 7, 2005. Retrieved
February 14, 2008.
- Eagles say Owens won't return this season,
NFL.com, November 7, 2005. Retrieved December 20
2006.
- Archer, Todd. T.O.: 'There was no suicide attempt,
Dallas Morning News, September 27,
2006. Retrieved December 20 2006.
- Terrell Owens Suicide Attempt, The Smoking Gun,
September 27, 2006. Retrieved December 20 2006.
- Owens refutes report, says he didn't attempt
suicide, ESPN.com, September 28, 2006. Retrieved
December 20 2006.
- T.O. Returns to Practice, MSNBC, September 28, 2006. Retrieved
December 20, 2006.
- Aaron, Jamie. Police Say Owens Accidentally Overdosed,
Associated
Press, September 28, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- Pasquarelli, Len. Hall: 'I lost all respect for the guy', ESPN.com, December 17, 2006.
Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- Hall, T.O. friendship now all wet, MSNBC,
December 17, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- NFL Fines Dallas Cowboys' Terrell Owens $35,000 for
Spitting on Opponent, FoxNews.com, December 18, 2006.
Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- ESPN - Owens happy with change to coach Phillips -
NFL. ESPN. Retrieved
October 1, 2009.
- Holmgren calls incident 'shameful ... a dishonor',
ESPN.com, October 15, 2002. Retrieved December 20,
2006.
- Orsborn, Tom. Cowboys QB Romo ties mark in win over
Buccaneers, San Antonio Express-News, November
24, 2006. Retrieved December 17 2006.
- Individual Records: Receiving, NFL Record and Fact
Book, NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
- ESPN Player Card, ESPN.com. Retrieved
November 19, 2007.
- [1], . Retrieved October 26,
2009.
- ESPN NFL Scoring Stats, ESPN.com.
Retrieved January 7, 2007.
- Brockington, Horace. Wavelength?. NYArts, March/April 2006. Retrieved January 7,
2007.
- Dallas Cowboys' Owens Gets Own Reality Show
ESPN.com, January 26, 2009
-
http://blog.vh1.com/2009-09-09/the-to-show-is-returning-for-season-2/
External links