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25 Facts About Mel Owens

1.

Mel Tyrae Owens was born on December 7,1958 and is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League.

2.

Mel Owens played college football at the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1980.

3.

Mel Owens was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft.

4.

Mel Owens played nine seasons with the Rams and compiled 26.5 quarterback sacks.

5.

The family moved to DeKalb, Illinois, when Mel Owens was in the ninth grade, as his father was hired as the baseball coach at Northern Illinois University.

6.

Mel Owens attended DeKalb High School where he was a multi-sport star, winning a total of nine varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball.

7.

Mel Owens played at the fullback and linebacker positions for the football team, gaining almost 1,000 years one year, and at forward for the basketball team.

8.

Mel Owens won unanimous all-conference basketball honors as a senior after leading the team in both scoring and rebounds.

9.

Mel Owens played college football for Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1976 to 1980.

10.

Mel Owens gained note for personally stopping two fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter against Ohio State to help the 1977 Michigan team win the Big Ten Conference championship and advance to the Rose Bowl.

11.

Mel Owens starred in the Michigan State game, hitting Spartan quarterback Bert Vaughan and forcing an errant pass that was intercepted by Michael Harden.

12.

Mel Owens was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player in 1980.

13.

Mel Owens concluded his collegiate career with 125 solo tackles, 79 assists, and three interceptions.

14.

Mel Owens played in the 1978 and 1981 Rose Bowls and the 1979 Gator Bowl while at Michigan.

15.

Mel Owens graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science.

16.

Mel Owens's reported time in the 40-yard dash was 4.65, and his bench press was 390 pounds.

17.

Mel Owens played mostly on special teams in 1981 and 1982.

18.

Mel Owens made his first start against the Los Angeles Raiders in the second-to-last game of the 1982 NFL season in which he recorded 10 tackles before leaving the game with a knee injury.

19.

In 1986, Mel Owens was an honorable mention All-Pro by the Associated Press as the Rams defense ranked in the NFL's top five for the second consecutive season.

20.

Mel Owens totaled 453 tackles with 26.5 sacks in his Ram career with four interceptions.

21.

Mel Owens ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, in the 1987 off-season and competed in the 1987 Los Angeles Marathon.

22.

Mel Owens later attended University of California, Hastings College of the Law and was admitted to the California bar in 2003.

23.

Mel Owens specializes in workers' compensation, sports law, sports injuries and disability benefits.

24.

Mel Owens was one of the lead attorneys in a 2013 brain-injury lawsuit by professional ice hockey players against the National Hockey League.

25.

Mel Owens represented more than 250 football players in workers compensation claims arising out of football-related injuries.