Joe Owens was there!

Um ... er ... wasn't he???

He's got his picture on this 1976 Topps #259 football card but he never played a game for the Seahawks!

Pro Football 1976

by Larry Felser and Dave Klein

Secondary? Patera has Dave Brown and Eddie McMillan on the corners, with Al Matthews, Rondy Colbert and Lyle Blackwood competing for the safety jobs. And rookie Don Dufek of Michigan will hit hard enough to make the club. He’s a former Wolverine linebacker now projected as a strong safety.

There were even some plums for the front four. Like Carl Barisich, who can play end or tackle. Like Wayne Baker at tackle, all 6-6 and 269 pounds of him. And Patera spent his first-round draft choice for monstrous Steve Niehaus of Notre Dame, an instant starter. “He reminds me of Merlin Olsen,” said Patera, “but he’s stronger.”

Owens, a bit short, is strong and has some speed. Barisich is the find among the drafted vets; he can play. Niehaus is Coach Patera’s mine, a huge tackle with quickness and inordinate strength. Baker, somewhat slow, has marvelous size. Lloyd has the size and quickness to win a job as soon as he adapts to the pros. Dixon, a lower draftee is green but talented.

Pastor Renews Effort For Children's Gathering Place on Owens Street

Source: Columbian Progress

A year later and at a new site, the Rev. Isaac Brown still hopes to establish a neighborhood park on Owens Street.

Brown, pastor of Owens Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, said a park would not only enhance the neighborhood, but, more importantly, would give neighborhood youth something constructive to do.

“I have found if you give a kid something to do, you can keep his mind off other things,”

Brown said in kicking off his quest last year. Problems getting a site for the park have delayed the project, however.

This week, Brown announced the project is again ready to move ahead, with funding being the last remaining obstacle. Brown said he has joined with Columbia resident Joe Owens, who owns a lot at the corner of Owens Street and Martin Luther King Drive, in an effort to develop the property as a park.

“We have thought about putting up a basketball court; maybe a place to play tennis or sandlot volleyball,” Brown said. “We’d like to have tournaments during the summer.”

Having a place where neighborhood youth congregate would also provide an opportunity “to talk to the kids, to try to keep them in school,” he said.

Owens said he has owned the property for about 25 years, and would like to see it put to good use by the community.

“My wife is a minister, too. We had talked about doing something for the kids, and when Rev. Brown called, that just got us thinking again,” he said.

Owens, a former professional football player and Columbia business owner, said there used to be a club on the property, which he bought in 1975. The building burned down sometime around 1987 or 1988, and the property has been vacant since, he said.

“I think this will be a better spot” for the park, Brown said, adding that he is currently seeking funds for the project. The Marion County Board of Supervisors has expressed an interest in helping with the project, he said, adding that he has also spoken with Fourth Congressional District U.S. Rep. Ronnie Shows, state Attorney General Mike Moore, District Attorney Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald and local businesswoman Ann Simmons.

Anyone interested in helping with the project can contact Brown at Owens Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.