Bill Owen

William Criswell "Red" Owen (September 29, 1903 – March 15, 1975) was an American football lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Cowboys, Cleveland Bulldogs, Detroit Wolverines, and New York Giants. He was the younger brother of Pro Football Hall of Fame Giants lineman and coach Steve Owen, with whom and for whom he played.

Early life

Bill Owen was born September 29, 1903, in Aline, Oklahoma Territory.

He entered Oklahoma A&M College (today's Oklahoma State University) in 1924 and played football there on the freshman team. In October the red-haired tackle was unanimously elected team captain by his peers to serve in that capacity for the rest of the year.

The following year Owen transferred to Phillips University, a now-defunct religious private school in Enid, Oklahoma, where his brother Steve Owen had been a gridiron star. After one year in Cleveland, Owen would join the Detroit Wolverines for 1928, continuing to play barnstorming games for a percentage of the gate as a member of an NFL All-Star team following the conclusion of the season schedule.

Box score for the October 27, 1929, game against the Providence Steam Roller, listing the Owen brothers together on the Giants line. In 1929, with the Detroit franchise folding, Owen was relocated as team asset for a third time. This time he became a member of the New York Giants — an NFL franchise entering its fifth season — giving him an opportunity to play on the line with his older brother. Bill broke in with the team as the starting left guard, with Steve the established veteran at the left tackle position.

Although New York would finish the 1929 season with a 13–1–1 record, the Giants' one loss was to the undefeated Green Bay Packers — and in the absence of a post-season championship playoff game, the title was accorded to the Packers.

Steve Owen was made a player-coach by the Giants in 1930. Bill would play the rest of his career under Steve's watchful eye, anchoring the line as the starter at right tackle through 1934. Spotting trouble in the making, prior to the game the Giants had sent a representative to purchase as many pairs of rubber-soled basketball should as could be obtained. Owen, in charge of coaching the linemen, worked on the staff of his brother Steve, who would remain at the helm of the New York squad through 1953.

Death and legacy

Owen died March 15, 1975, in New Mexico and was buried March 20 in Kinsley, Kansas.