NFL legend Terrell Owens details his transition from self-doubting high school player to all-time great
Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens ended his storied NFL career with 15,934 receiving yards. He was named an All-Pro five times and a Pro Bowler six times.
Owens, an Alabama native, recently spoke with former NBA player Jalen Rose about how he once thought he wasn’t going to make the NFL.
“I wasn’t much of an athlete growing up, nor was I when I left high school,” Owens told Rose in a recent episode of the Renaissance Man podcast.
“I didn’t think I would be a great athlete after college. I never knew that one day I would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I never really had that in mind.”
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Jalen Rose attends the TAO x Maxim Big Game Party at Southwest Jet Center on February 11, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Owens also addressed his childhood and how it influenced the early stages of his football career.
“My mother didn’t really know that I was going to be the athlete that I could be,” Owens said. “She didn’t come to the games.”
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Owens was raised primarily by his mother and grandmother, to whom he credits for helping him develop successful habits. He then played college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
NFL player Terrell Owens (L) and former NBA player Jalen Rose arrive at the 2009 ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theater LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for ESPY)
As Owens began his sophomore year, he began to shine on the football field. He recalled his outstanding performance against Marshall University.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Owens remarked. “We beat them 33-31. I had all four touchdowns. That would be, I think, the rise of my greatness or, you know, the steps from good to great. But even at that point, I still didn’t have any.” I had the idea that I have the ability to play at the next level.
Hall of Famer inductee Terrell Owens speaks during a ceremony at halftime of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders at Levi’s Stadium on November 1, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers selected Owens in the third round of the 1996 draft, and he had a successful 15-year career in the NFL.
When Owens arrived in San Francisco, all-time star Jerry Rice was still catching passes for the Niners, but as he retired, Owens became the main concern of opposing defense weekly.
“In passing the torch…I tried to follow in Jerry Rice’s footsteps [filled] “For so many years,” Owens said, “that was the birth of my ability, my talent.” . who i have become
Owens was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and made a memorable appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX despite suffering a serious injury during the regular season.
“I tore the ligaments in my ankle,” he said. “The next day after the game, I found that I had broken my fibula.”
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Owens shrugged off his self-doubt to become one of the NFL’s greatest wide receivers.
“As I got older, I wanted to set myself apart. Ascension requires separation. I knew I had to do something else to get to those levels,” TO said.
“It’s great, and then there’s the level of size.” [even above most] Athletes,” he added. “I am proud to say that I have spoken [about like] some of these great people.