Athletes - Terrell Owens

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	Athletes - Terrell Owens

Terrell Eldorado Owens, sometimes called T. O., (born December 7, 1973, in Alexander City, Alabama) is an American football wide receiver, who is a current member of the Dallas Cowboys. He was deactivated for most of the 2005 season by the Philadelphia Eagles due primarily to behavior stemming from a contract dispute and conflicts with other Eagles' players, including quarterback Donovan McNabb. On March 18, 2006, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that Terrell Owens signed a contract to play for the team.

Although Owens is recognized as one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL today, he is also known for being a troublesome, high-maintenance player on and off the field. While he is generally dependable on the field, he has developed a reputation for causing controversies with teammates, coaches, opposing players, and fans. Even so, after banishment from the Eagles in 2005, many teammates came forward voicing support for Owens and campaigning in vain for his reinstatement with the Eagles.

As of early 2006, Owens lives in Moorestown, New Jersey, though Owens' departure from the Philadelphia Eagles will probably cause this to change. He also owns a home in Georgia and retreated there regularly during the 2005 season in an attempt to avoid scrutiny by Philadelphia's sports media.

Terrell regularly corresponds with his fans on his message board on his website, terrellowens.com.

Biography

Owens was born into a troubled home in Alexander City, Alabama. He immersed himself in sports from an early age, idolizing Jerry Rice. He was a four-year letterman in football and track at Benjamin Russell High School and also lettered three times in basketball and once in baseball. His high school career was not stellar. He didn't even start for the Wildcats until his senior year. He was not heavily recruited and chose to accept a scholarship from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga because they would allow him to play multiple sports.

Owens came into his own playing basketball, track and college football for the UTC Moccasins. He played in the 1995 NCAA Tournament in basketball and anchored the schools 4x100 relay team. Like his idol, Rice, Owens wore #80 on the football field. As a freshman, Owens was used sparingly by coach Buddy Nix, catching 6 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. In his sophomore year new head coach Tommy West promoted him to starter. He caught 38 passes for 724 yards and 8 TDs in his second year, including a school record 4 touchdowns against Marshall University. Playing for his third coach in three years, Owens anchored the offense and caught 58 passes for 836 yards and 6 TDs. He was named to the Southern Conference All-Conference second team. In his senior year Owens faced double coverage every week and was limited to 43 receptions for 666 yards and one touchdown.

San Francisco 49ers

Based as much on his size and speed as on his demonstrated ability, Owens was drafted by the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft, in which he was the 89th overall player selected. The chance to play alongside Jerry Rice thrilled the rookie. He stayed quiet in practice and made his first impact on special teams, recoding three tackles in a game against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the 1997 season, Terrell Owens became a big name for the 49ers, when all-pro 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. In a 1998 wild card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers were trailing the Packers 27-23 with eight seconds left in the game. Owens caught a 25 yard touchdown pass while surrounded by four Packers defenders from Young that lifted the 49ers to a 30-27 victory. This catch became known as "The Catch II" among Niners fans. The following season was a disaster for the 49ers as they fell to 4-12. Young retired after the 1999 season and Jeff Garcia was named the 49ers starting quarterback. In 2000, although Owens put up very productive individual statistics, the Niners still only managed to win six games. In 2001, the 49ers rebounded to 12-4 before losing to the Packers in the wild card playoff round, but by then, Owens was having widely documented feuds with Garcia and head coach Steve Mariucci. Sportswriters reported that Owens would refuse to even speak to the coach. At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Mariucci was fired and replaced by Dennis Erickson. In 2003, the 49ers fell back to 7-9 and Owens constantly made insults about Garcia's on-the-field performance to the media, as well as insinuating that he was a homosexual. It became apparent to most sportswriters and NFL fans that Owens's days in San Francisco were numbered.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Terrell Owens ]

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Athletes - Terrell Owens

Biography

San Francisco 49ers

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