Chad Owens Sr. (born April 3, 1982) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

who played for three years in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) and nine years in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the sixth round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. Owens played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. He spent six seasons playing for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

, and has also been a member of the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

, and

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

. Owen's is also a professional

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

who competes in the IFBB Men's Physique Division.

Early life

Owens attended Roosevelt High School in Honolulu,

, and he was a three-sport letter-winner and star in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and Track. In football, as a senior, he was an all— OIA white division selection, and an All-State honourable mention. As a sophomore, he garnered first-team All-OIA Red Division honours, and All-State honourable-mention accolades. He was also a basketball star and as a senior, he led his team to the OIA state

championship. He has three children: Chad Jr., Areana, and Sierra-Lynn with his wife, Rena Owens. They've been together for 25 years, married for 15 years.

College career

Owens became a bigger star after joining the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

football team as a

, punt returner and

. He became the featured receiver in

June Jones June Sheldon Jones III (born February 19, 1953) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa ...

's Run & Shoot Offence, and became the number one receiver for

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Timmy Chang. Owens was instrumental on the Warriors teams that won both the

Hawaii Bowl The Hawaii Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played in the Honolulu, Hawaii, area since 2002. The game was originally held at Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu, before moving to the Clarence T. C. Ching At ...

in 2003 and 2004 by beating the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

and the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than ...

. * Hawaii's All-time Career Yardage Leader With 5,461 All-purpose Yards * Gained 3,031 receiving yards (6th in school history) and 29 touchdowns (5th) in 44 games, * Awarded the Mosi Tatupu Award for best Special Teams Player in 2004

College statistics

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Owens was cut by the

after his NFL debut against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

where he muffed three punts. He was re-signed to the Jaguars'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

a few days later. Playing with the Jaguars in his first pre-season game of the 2006 season, Owens caught a 62-yard pass and scored his first NFL touchdown.

Colorado Crush

Owens signed with agent Richard "Bruno" Burnoski and signed a contract with the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

. Owens got off to a fast start with the Crush, generating over 1600 combined yards (receiving and returns) but tore his ACL, ending his season after nine games.

Montreal Alouettes

On July 14, 2009, Owens signed a practice roster agreement with the

. He was released on October 1. He was re-signed to the practice roster on October 8 and was considered a part of the

97th Grey Cup The 97th Grey Cup was played on November 29, 2009, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, and decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) champion for the 2009 season. The Montreal Alouettes came from behind to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughrider ...

Championship team for participating in a game during the regular season.

Toronto Argonauts

On June 24, 2010, the

acquired Owens from the Alouettes in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 CFL Draft. On November 25, 2010, Owens was named the most outstanding special teams player in the

for the 2010 season. Owens was a unanimous selection after leading the CFL in punt, kickoff, missed field goal returns and all-purpose yards and finishing tied for the league lead in return touchdowns (four). He became just the fifth player in league history to have over 1,000 punt and kick return yards in a season. On November 1, 2012, in the final regular-season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Owens set the all-time record for

all-purpose yards All-purpose yards or all-purpose yardage is a gridiron football statistical measure. It is virtually the same as the statistic that some football leagues refer to as combined net yards. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing ...

in a single season, surpassing Pinball Clemons' 1997 total of 3,840 yards. Owens did so with a 29-yard kickoff return halfway through the 2nd quarter. He finished the season with 3863 all-purpose yards, setting not only a CFL record, but also a professional football record as well. In his third full season in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Owens became the first player in professional football to record at least 3,000 combined yards in back-to-back seasons. On November 22, 2012, Owens won the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award finishing ahead of

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

running back

Jon Cornish Jonathan Michael Cornish (born November 5, 1984) is a Canadian former professional football running back who played nine seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 13th overall in the 2006 CFL Dra ...

in voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada as well as the eight CFL head coaches. On November 25, 2012, Owens and the Argonauts finished the 2012 season with the

100th Grey Cup The 100th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Toronto Argonauts and the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2012 season. The ga ...

Championship. Owens was rated the best player in the league on the TSN Top 50 players of

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. On June 8, 2013, the Argos and Owens agreed to a two-year contract extension. The deal was rumoured to make Owens the highest-paid non-quarterback in the CFL. The Argonauts did not re-sign Owens at the conclusion of the

2015 CFL season The 2015 CFL season was the 62nd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 58th Canadian Football League season. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 in Winni ...

, rendering Owens a free agent.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (first stint)

On February 11, 2016, Owens agreed to a one-year contract with the

as a free agent. Subsequently, it was announced on October 4, after playing 12 games with the Tiger-Cats, that Owens would miss the remainder of the

2016 CFL season The 2016 CFL season was the 63rd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 59th Canadian Football League season. Toronto hosted the 104th Grey Cup on November 27. The regular season began on June 23 and ended on November ...

due to a broken foot he sustained in a game against the

. He would subsequently re-enter Free Agency after only a season with the organization.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On February 15, 2017, Owens agreed to a two-year deal with the

. It was announced, on June 21, 2017, that Owens was placed on the six-game injured list due to an apparent foot injury he likely sustained while with the Tiger-Cats. Owens made his Roughriders debut on October 20, 2017, in a winning effort against the

recording five receptions with seventy eight yards. Despite his strong performance at the end of the 2017 Saskatchewan Roughriders campaign, he was part of final roster cuts for the Riders on June 9, 2018. His age and performance relative to younger players are believed to be contributing factors affecting the decision to cut ties with the player.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (second stint)

Owens returned to the Tiger-Cats when he signed a practice roster deal on September 11, 2018. He was released on October 1, 2018, without having played in a game. Owens was announced as a member of the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

2024 class on May 3, 2024 and inducted on September 14, 2024 at Tim Hortons Field.

Professional career statistics

NFL

AFL

CFL

MMA career

In the off-season following the

2012 CFL season The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centr ...

, Owens decided to pursue MMA as a form of off-season training. Then Argos GM Jim Barker openly expressed his displeasure with Owens's fighting in MMA, and was quoted as saying, "I think he's making a bad decision, our organization thinks he's making a bad decision". On April 6, 2013, Owens defeated Junya Tevaga by unanimous decision in an amateur bout. The organization that oversaw the fight was Destiny MMA.

Personal life

In January 2015, Owens moved from Hawaii to Canada full-time; but has now relocated back to his home of Oahu (Honolulu),Hawai'i Owens also competes in Bodybuilding and was the 2022 Men's Physique Overall Champion at the Shawn Ray Hawaiian Classic. In 2024 Owen's won his IFBB Pro Card at NPC North Americans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts profile page

NFL profileArenaFan.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Chad 1982 births Living people American emigrants to Canada American football return specialists American football wide receivers Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners Canadian football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers Colorado Crush players Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Miami Dolphins players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Montreal Alouettes players Toronto Argonauts players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of American football from Honolulu Players of Canadian football from Honolulu President Theodore Roosevelt High School alumni Sportspeople from Mississauga Pacific Islander American players of American football