Ed Owens

Edward Sinclair Owens (August 6, 1950 – December 11, 1971) was an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds during the 1969–70 season and then transferred to Weber State University where he did not play. Owens entered the 1971 NBA hardship draft as a junior and was the only eligible player not selected by a team. He died in a car accident three months later.

Early life Owens was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Harold and Bessie Mae West Owens. His parents both worked in public relations for a community group; his mother was a Howard University graduate who also later ran as a candidate in local government. The Owens family moved to Ogden, Utah, in 1956. He took an entrance examination and enrolled at Southern Utah University. His rebounding count ranked in the top four of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) that season. Adams considered him to be the "finest big man" in the RMAC. A junior in collegiate eligibility, Kennedy explained later, "we carried the draft that many rounds because we always had, and thought somebody might have used it against us if we hadn't gone 20 rounds."

Death Owens returned to Southern Utah University after the draft to make another attempt at his academics. Kennedy received a three-page letter from Owens' mother after the accident in which she wrote: "One of the biggest moments in my son's life was your consideration as a hardship case. The last thing he asked me to do was to write and say thanks to you."