At this time of the year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will take place in Canton, Ohio. Usually, there are seven people (players, coaches and contributors) who the writers choose. Then they are inducted each year to the Hall of Fame. One of the enshrines this year is Terrell Owens.
Owens is one of the greatest wide receivers of this generation. For his career, he finished second all-time to Jerry Rice in receiving yards with 15,934. Also, he ranked second behind Rice in receiving touchdowns with 153. He’s played with the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals for 15 seasons.
However, people will only remember how T.O. was combative as a player. He was a guy that demanded the ball in his hands so it can help them win games. The downside was that he clashed with teammates like Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Hugh Douglas, Jason Witten, etc. Also, he bumped heads with coaches Steve Mariucci, Andy Reid and Brad Childress. That is what led those teams to get rid of him.
Owens had these insecurities beginning as a child growing up with his grandmother not allowing him to play with his friends outside. Those demons were what led to trust issues with teammates, coaches, and executives. Most would say that his personality is what led to him not getting into the Hall of Fame as a first ballot. Despite getting in this time, he still holds a grudge against the writers for not putting him in earlier.
As a result of that, T.O. decided not to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony. It is unprecedented because no guy inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has ever skipped the event. Despite his huge personality, he was one of the best on the field.
With that being said here are the top six moments of his career:
Terrell Owens Best Career Moments
Game-winning Touchdown vs the Green Bay Packers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iUDTAejSzw
This game is arguably is was led him to put his stardom on the map. In the 1998 Wild Card Round, the 49ers were playing against the defending NFC champion Green Bay Packers. T.O. struggled in the game with numerous dropped passes in the bright sun. But Steve Young promised him that if he was open, he would throw it to him. That’s what he did as he threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Owens with three seconds left. It was labeled The Catch II.
20 Catches in a single Game
T.O. had a day that would be record-breaking. On December 17, 2000, in a game versus the Chicago Bears, he had 20 receptions for 283 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers 17-0 victory. The irony was that it was Jerry Rice’s final home game as a 49er. In the game, Owens benefited immensely from the extra coverage the Bears defense put on Rice to take him out of the game. Eventually, the record would be broken by Brandon Marshall, who had 21 catches in a 2009 game.
Standing on the Dallas Cowboys Star
In a game against the Dallas Cowboys, Owens scored a touchdown and went to the star at the middle of the field to thank god. Later on, he would score another touchdown and went to the star and got pushed by George Teague. Earlier in the game, they had got into a scuffle at the goal line and that’s what led to the push. At the end of the game and in the locker room, Steve Mariucci was so mad at T.O. that he suspended him for one week.
Signing the Football
https://www.instagram.com/p/BloEpXcAblT/?hl=en
In a Monday Night game in 2002 against the Seahawks, Owens scored a touchdown after Shawn Springs was covering him. After that, he took out a sharpie from inside his sock and signed his autograph on the football. Then, he gave it to his financial adviser Greg Eastman. who was in the stands. Ironically, T.O. and Springs are both clients of Eastman.
Playing in the Super Bowl With a Bad Ankle
In Super Bowl 39, the Eagles took on the defending champion the New England Patriots. The expectation was that Terrell Owens wouldn’t play because of a serious ankle he suffered against the Cowboys seven weeks prior. He shocked all odds by playing in the Super Bowl anyway and he even balled out. He caught nine passes for 122 yards, outrunning the Patriots secondary. However, they would lose the game 24-21 but T.O. gained respect for playing on a half of a leg.
That’s My Quarterback
In the 2007 Divisional Round, the number one seed Cowboys lost to the sixth seed New York Giants 21-17. After the game, Owens got emotional talking about Tony Romo from the negative press he got for going to Mexico during the Cowboys’ bye week. It showed his love and appreciation for his quarterback, Romo.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
