Owens, a Bessemer, Ala. native, was a four-year letterman on the Lions basketball teams from 1979-82 and helped take the Lions to three NCAA Division II National Tournaments in that four-year span. He is one of just 18 Lions all-time to score more than 1,000 career points, with 1,047 in 116 career games.

He was a member of UNA’s 1979 National Championship Team, a member of the 1980 Lion squad that finished fourth nationally and a member of the 1981 team that lost in the quarterfinal round of the Division II Tournament. He played on one Gulf South Conference championship team (1981), three NCAA regional championship teams (1979, 1980, 1981) and two Final Four teams.  For his career he was 408-of-797 from the floor for 51.1 percent, 231-of-338 from the line for 68.3 percent, averaged 9.0 points over his career and pulled 353 rebounds. He averaged in double-figures in scoring in 1981 (10.3) and 1982 (13.3).

Owens was selected All-Gulf South Conference in 1981 and led UNA in assists three straight years, with 136 in 1980, 165 in 1981 and 115 in 1982. He was also the team leader in free throw percentage in 1982 (77.1) and finished his career with 460 career rebounds.  Owens received a degree in Social Work from UNA in 1983.  He later played 11 seasons of professional basketball in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador and Brazil.