Burgess Owens Biography

Burgess Owens is an American politician, non-profit executive, and former professional football player working as the U.S. Representative for Utah’s 4th congressional district since 2021.

Burgess Owens Education

In 1969, Owens graduated from Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida. He was one of four African-American players on a football team at a historically white high school. Owens was the third of four black athletes recruited to play at the University of Miami, as well as the third black student to receive a scholarship. In 1980, he was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1999, he received the Orange Bowl “Ring of Honor.” Owens graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry.

Burgess Owens Career

Owens relocated to New York City in 1983. Owens and his brother ran a business that sold electronics to other businesses to track business expenses shortly after leaving professional football. Owens declared bankruptcy after the venture failed. Owens later moved to Brooklyn and worked as a chimney sweep and security guard in a small apartment.

He later relocated to Philadelphia, where he worked as a sales representative for WordPerfect. Later in his career, he worked as an account executive for both Sprint and Motorola and from 2009 to 2013, he ran a company called Pure and Simple Solutions. He is the founder, board member, and CEO of Second Chance 4 Youth, a non-profit dedicated to assisting troubled and incarcerated youth, which was founded in 2019. Owens has frequently appeared as a guest contributor on Fox News.

Owens announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Utah’s 4th congressional district in November 2019. He was one of four candidates to run in the Republican primary for President in 2020. Owens won the primary and will face Democratic incumbent Ben McAdams in the general election in November.

Owens won the primary with 43 percent of the vote on June 30, 2020, defeating Utah State Representative Kim Coleman by a twenty-point margin. Owens also defeated KSL radio personality Jay McFarland and businessman Trent Christensen as challengers. Owens spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2020.

President Donald Trump and Utah U.S. Senator Mike Lee congratulated Owens for winning the 4th congressional district congressional seat on November 14, 2020, eleven days after the election and with 99 percent of precincts reporting, based on Breitbart News calling the race for Owens. On November 16, McAdams conceded to Owens, and the Associated Press declared the race for Owens.

Burgess Owens Age

Owens is 72 years old. He was born on 2 August 1951 in Columbus, Ohio, United States. He celebrates his birthday on 2 August every year.

Burgess Owens Height

Owens stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m).

Burgess Owens Family

Owens has managed to keep his personal life away from the limelight hence he has not disclosed any information about his parents. It is also not known if Owens has any siblings.

Burgess Owens Wife / Divorced / Children

Owens was married for 34 years of Josie Owens – their marriage ended in the year 2012. He and Josie had six kids before they divorced, whose identities are under review.

Burgess Owens New York Jets

Owens was selected by the New York Jets with the 13th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft. On October 28, his rookie season, he returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos. During the 1970s, this was the Jets’ only touchdown on a kickoff return. He was a regular starter for the Jets for the majority of the 1970s and was a member of the Raiders’ Super Bowl XV championship team in 1980.

Burgess Owens Net Worth

Owens has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $5 Million which he has earned through being a  politician, non-profit executive, and former professional football player.

Burgess Owens Salary

Owens earns an annual salary ranging between $40,000 – $ 110,500.

Burgess Owens Religion

Owens belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has publicly expressed his faith. During his final season with the Oakland Raiders, he joined the Church. Owens (raised Baptist) and his wife Josie (raised Catholic) was baptized around 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 1982, thanks to the influence of teammate Todd Christensen. In 1988, he spoke at a meeting sponsored by the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies commemorating the 10th anniversary of the LDS Church’s 1978 Revelation on Priesthood.

Burgess Owens Cancer

Owens is a survivor of prostate cancer. Much about his cancer life is not known but the information is under review.

Burgess Owens Books

Owens has authored:

• It’s All About Team
• Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps
• Why I Stand: From Freedom to the Killing Fields of Socialism

Burgess Owens Bankruptcies

Apparently, through an ad by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Owens has filed for six bankruptcies and he has $1.7 million in unpaid taxes and personal debts.

The table below answers some of the frequently asked questions about Owens.