NFL · Pro Bowl
Steve Owens
Running back · 1 selection · retired · OU 1967-1969
Heisman winner who made the Pro Bowl as the Lions' first 1,000-yard rusher
Steve Owens, from Miami, Oklahoma, won the 1969 Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, the second Sooner to win it after Billy Vessels. He left OU as the program's career touchdown leader, a record that stood until DeMarco Murray broke it in 2010.
Detroit drafted him 19th overall in 1970. A severely separated shoulder kept him out of the first half of his rookie season. Healthy in 1971, he ran for 1,035 yards, becoming the first back in Lions history to top 1,000 yards in a season, and he was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Injuries shortened the rest of his career, which ended after five seasons, all in Detroit. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and later served as OU's athletic director from 1996 to 1998.