Montell Owens
| No. -- Free agent | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 4, 1984 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Wilmington, Delaware | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Wilmington (DE) Concord | ||||||||||
| College: | Maine | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2006 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2014 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Montell Ernest Owens (born May 4, 1984) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Maine, and was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Owens is regarded as one of the top special teams players in the NFL.[1]
Early years
Owens attended Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and was a letterman in football, baseball, and track. As a student, he was a member of the National Honor Society and toured Europe with American Music Abroad. In football, Owens rushed for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns. Owens graduated from Concord High School in 2002.
College career
Owens attended the University of Maine, where he was a four-year letterman who played in 38 games at tailback for the Maine Black Bears football team. In 2005, he established career highs with 184 carries for 779 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. As a junior in 2004, he played in nine games and had 49 carries for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He played in nine games as a sophomore rushed for 32 yards on 15 carries. Owens majored in kinesiology an biology and minored in jazz performance.
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Owens was selected as a first alternate for the 2010 Pro Bowl. He was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl as a special teams player. In the Pro Bowl game, he recovered a fumble by Devin Hester on a kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. In the same game he caught a pass for a touchdown from Matt Cassel. In 2009, Owens tied the single-season franchise record with 30 special teams tackles. Owens replaced New England's Matthew Slater as the special teams player on the AFC roster for the 2012 Pro Bowl.
Owens was attributed with the nickname of "Mowens" during his time with the Jaguars, the result of a group of die-hard fans contracting the name listed on his jersey "M. OWENS".
In his career with the Jaguars, Owens played in 104 games with 4 starts. He was released on May 16, 2013.
Detroit Lions
Owens was signed by the Detroit Lions on May 30, 2013.[2] His contributions were limited in 2013 due to a knee injury that placed him on injured reserve for most of the season.[3]
In 2014, Owens returned as a leader on special teams and was designated as a weekly captain.[4]
Jaguars franchise records
- Most special teams tackles: 118
- Most special teams tackles in single season: 30 (2009)