A visit to Mr. Heisman
Videographer Tim Money and myself stopped by Steve Owens’ office Wednesday for an interview, which is always appropriate in Heisman week and even more fitting when a Sooner is in contention.
Owens won the 1969 Heisman and has embraced the Heisman tradition — not to mention the Sooner tradition — as much as any winner of sport’s grandest trophy.
Anyway, a visit with Owens is always ripe with great stories, and he’s wall is littered with photos of all kinds of celebrities. Including a photo of Steve and Barbara Owens on Air Force One with Richard Nixon.
Owens tells the story of appearing on the Johnny Carson Show, which then was filmed in New York. Muhammad Ali was another guest that night.
Anyway, Owens sat in a waiting room with Ali and his entourage, and Heisman winners weren’t quite the celebrities they are today. Owens said he could sense the Ali group wondering, who is this hick holding a trophy?
Owens said he sat there with his mouth shut, then one of Carson’s staffers came into the room and asked for Mr. Owens. Steve put his hand up. “The president of the United States would like to speak with you,” she said.
All of a sudden, Owens had a little more respect from the room. Nixon was offering a ride two days later to the Arkansas-Texas game, the Big Shootout of 1969, one of the greatest college football games ever played.
So that’s how the Owenses landed on Air Force One. On the ride, Barbara filled her purse with things like matchbooks, which had the official presidential emblem. “Good Christmas presents,” Steve told his wife.
Then when they got off the plane, the flight attendant gave them a big box full of such memorabilia. There had been no need to stash the purse.
But the best story from the visit came after Owens said farewell and went back to his office. One of his colleagues, who will remain nameless to protect the guilty, told the story of former Heisman executive director Rudy Riska, calling Owens in the mid-’90s, asking advice.
O.J. Simpson had been arrested for murder and was facing trial. The Heisman is always a reunion for past winners; many, including Owens, hold the festitivities very special. Owens had become a confidant of Riska.
At the award banquet, the winners are seated by the year they won. So Owens would sit by the 1970 and 1968 winners. Jim Plunkett and O.J. Simpson.
Anyway, Riska asked Owens what the Heisman committee should do about O.J.
“Well,” said Owens, “since he’s sitting by me, how about making sure there’s no knife at his place setting?”
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Now I know who will win. I saw a replay of last year with Tebow and he had a cast on his right arm. That clinches it. Sophomore QB’s with casts on their non-throwing arm win the Heisman. Fortunately for Sooner fans, that is Bradford and not Tebow.