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{{Short description|American football player and coach (1898–1964)}}
{{NFL PlayerCoach
{{About|the Pro Football Hall of Fame player|the College Football Hall of Fame player|Steve Owens (American football)}}
|Name=Steve Owen
{{Infobox NFL biography
|Image=
| name = Steve Owen
|DateOfBirth=[[April 21]], [[1898]]
| image = Steve Owen (American football).jpg
|Birthplace=[[Cleo Springs, OK]]
| image_size = 200
|DateOfDeath=[[May 17]], [[1964]]
| alt = Posed black and white photograph of Owens wearing a grey sweatshirt and a white New York Giants baseball cap
|College=[[Phillips University|Phillips]]
| caption = Owen circa 1930
|Position=[[Offensive tackle]]<BR>[[Head Coach]]
| number = 9, 36, 44, 50, 12, 55, 6
|Awards=
| position = [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|Tackle]], [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]]
|Honors=
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1898|4|21|mf=y}}
|Records=
| birth_place = [[Cleo Springs, Oklahoma|Cleo Springs]], [[Territory of Oklahoma]], U.S.
|Retired #s=
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1964|5|17|1898|4|21|mf=y}}
|player=yes
| death_place = [[Oneida, New York|Oneida]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
|years=1924<BR>1925<BR>1925-1926<BR>1927-1931/1932
| height_ft = 5
|teams=[[Kansas City Blues]]<BR>[[Canton Bulldogs]]<BR>[[Kansas City Cowboys]]<BR>[[New York Giants]]
| height_in = 10
|DatabaseFootball=OWENSTE01
| weight_lbs = 237
|coach=yes
| high_school = Aline (OK)
|coachingyears=1930-1953
| college = [[Phillips University|Phillips]]
|coachingteams=[[New York Giants]]
| pastteams =
|DatabaseFootballCoach=OWENSTE01
* [[Kansas City (NFL)|Kansas City Blues]] (1924)
|Record=151-100-17
* [[Hartford Blues]] (1925)
|Championships=1938 [[NFL Championship]]<BR>1934 [[NFL Championship]]
* [[Cleveland Bulldogs]] (1925)
|HOF=1966}}'''Steven Joseph Owen''' ([[April 21]], [[1898]] - [[May 17]], [[1964]]) was a [[American football|football]] player and coach who earned a place in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] as head coach of the [[National Football League]]'s [[New York Giants]] from [[1930]] to [[1953]]. Owen's skill at designing defenses, his fundamental approach to the game, and his innovative "[[A Formation]]," a variation on the single wing, also helped his offenses thrive and served as the keys to his success. His tenure is remembered today by the odd congruence of his gravelly voice and easy disposition, as well as his perpetual [[tobacco]] chewing.
* [[Kansas City (NFL)|Kansas City Cowboys]] (1925)
* [[New York Giants]] (1926–1931, 1933)
| pastcoaching =
* New York Giants (1931–1953)<br>Head coach
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1956–1957)<br>Defensive assistant
* [[Toronto Argonauts]] (1959)<br> Interim head coach
* [[Calgary Stampeders]] (1960)<br>Interim head coach
* [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]] (1961–1962)<br>Head coach
* Syracuse Stormers (1963)<br>Head coach
| highlights =
;As player
* [[NFL champion]] ([[1927 NFL season|1927]])
* First-team [[All-Pro]] (1927)
* [[NFL 1920s All-Decade Team]]
;As head coach
* 2× [[NFL champion]] ([[1934 NFL Championship Game|1934]], [[1938 NFL Championship Game|1938]])
* Giants career wins record (153)
* [[New York Giants Ring of Honor]]
| coachregrecord = NFL: {{Winning percentage|153|100|17|record=y}}<br>WIFU/CFL: {{Winning percentage|21|27|3|record=y}}
| coachplayoffrecord = NFL: {{Winning percentage|2|8|record=y}}<br>WIFU/CFL: {{Winning percentage|0|4||record=y}}
| coachrecord = NFL: {{Winning percentage|155|108|17|record=y}}<br>WIFU/CFL: {{Winning percentage|21|31|3|record=y}}
| pfr = OwenSt20
| pfrcoach = OwenSt0
| HOF = steve-owen
}}


'''Stephen Joseph Owen''' (April 21, 1898 – May 17, 1964)<ref name=ssoddb>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XJseAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kcwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6537%2C3369995 |newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Stout Steve Owen, former Giants' coaching great, dies |date=May 18, 1964 |page=12 }}</ref> was an American professional [[gridiron football|football]] player and coach. He earned a place in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] as [[head coach]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL)'s [[New York Giants]] for 24 seasons, from [[1930 New York Giants season|1930]] to [[1953 New York Giants season|1953]].<ref name=soqugrg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z8RRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mGoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3809%2C3621500 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Steve Owen quits grid Giants |date=December 11, 1953 |page=26 }}</ref><ref name=hoftiegp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bZ1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dWwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4312%2C2847955 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Hall of fame to induct 8 grid pros |date=September 15, 1966 |page=40}}</ref>
==Early Life==
Owen was born and raised in a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] area of the [[Oklahoma]] territory, where his original goal was to become a jockey, a dream denied by his 5-11, 230 pound frame that earned him the nickname, "Stout Steve." In addition to working on a cattle ranch, Owen attended [[Phillips University]] in [[Enid, Oklahoma]] where he was an all-around athlete for two years beginning in [[1917]]. Adding to his income during this period, he wrestled professionally under the name "Jack O'Brien," a ruse that allowed him to preserve his amateur status.


Owen's skill at designing [[defense (sport)|defenses]], his fundamentals-centered approach to the game and his innovative "[[A formation]]," a variation on the [[single-wing formation|single-wing]], also helped his [[offense (sports)|offenses]] thrive and were key to his success. His personal style was memorable for the odd congruence of gravelly voice and easy disposition to go with his perpetual [[tobacco]] [[Chewing tobacco|chewing]].
==Pro Football Career==


==Early life==
Owen served in the U.S. Army training corps, then returned to coach one year at Phillips before accepting a position in the oil fields of the Southwestern United States. In [[1924]], he began playing football professionally, earning $50 a game for the NFL's [[Kansas City (NFL)|Kansas City Cowboys]], who played all their games on the road, and after splitting time the following year between the Cowboys and the [[Cleveland Bulldogs]], he was sold in [[1926]] to the Giants for $500, joining his brother Bill in New York. Owen's leadership became clearly evident during the [[1927 NFL season]] when he served as captain of a team that outscored opponents 197-20 and won the equivalent of an NFL title with an 11-1-1 record.
Born in [[Cleo Springs, Oklahoma|Cleo Springs]] in [[Oklahoma Territory]], Owen was raised in an area known as the [[Cherokee Outlet|Cherokee Strip]], where his original goal was to become a [[jockey]], a dream denied by his {{height|ft=5|in=11}}, {{convert|230|lb|0|abbr=on}} frame that earned him the nickname "Stout Steve."


While working on a [[cattle ranch]], he attended [[Phillips University]] in [[Enid, Oklahoma|Enid]], where he was an all-around athlete in 1917-18. He supplemented his income at that time as a professional [[wrestling|wrestler]] under the pseudonym "Jack O'Brien," a ruse to preserve his amateur status.
By [[1930]], Owen had become a player-coach, splitting the duties for the final two games of the season with another future Hall of Famer [[Benny Friedman]]. The 2-0 finish was a hint that Owen would enjoy success when he became sole head coach the following season, accepting the position under a unique arrangement--he never signed a contract, but had a handshake agreement with the Mara family. He retired as a player following the [[1931 NFL season]], but briefly came back in [[1933]], helping the team to an 11-3 record and a berth in the title game, the first of eight appearances the Giants would make during his tenure.


==Football career==
The team slipped to 8-5 during the 1934 campaign, but managed to garner a spot in the NFL Championship game. Facing the 13-0 [[Chicago Bears]], the Giants entered the game as huge underdogs and trailed 13-3 at halftime. The icy conditions and nine-degree weather then forced an adjustment that became a memorable part of [[National Football League lore]] as New York's players donned sneakers and proceeded to run off 27 unanswered points for a 30-13 victory and the team's first title. More than seven decades later, the contest is still remembered as, "[[NFL Championship Game, 1934|The Sneakers Game]]."
Owen served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] training corps in [[World War I]], then returned to coach for a year at Phillips before going to work in oil fields in various parts of the Southwest. He started to play pro football in 1924, at [[United States dollar|$]]50 a game, for the NFL's [[Kansas City (NFL)|Kansas City Cowboys]] (who played all their games on the road). After playing for the Cowboys and then the [[Cleveland Bulldogs]] in [[1925 Cleveland Bulldogs season|1925]], he was sold to the [[New York Giants]] in [[1926 New York Giants season|1926]] for $500, joining his brother [[Bill Owen (American football)|Bill]]. After a futile attempt to get a cut of the purchase price from Kansas City coach [[Leroy Andrews]], he later said of the sale:<ref>Gottehrer. pg. 42–3</ref>
{{quote|I had seen a lot of fat hogs go for more than they paid for me. But in those days, a fat hog was a lot more valuable than a fat tackle. I was going to New York even if I had to walk there.}}


His leadership became clearly evident during the [[1927 New York Giants season|1927]] season as [[team captain|captain]] of a team that outscored opponents 197–20, went 11–1–1 and won the NFL title.
Despite the institution of the [[NFL draft]] due to the continued dominance of the Bears and Giants, the Giants returned to the championship game in [[1935]], then went on to win their final title under Owen in [[1938]]. In the latter contest, the Giants defeated the [[Green Bay Packers]] 23-17, despite being outgained in yardage, 379-208, using two blocked punts to collect nine points.
New York made four more appearances in the title clash, but never again would be champion under Owen.


In [[1930 New York Giants season|1930]], he was promoted to co-[[player-coach]] for the final two games of the season with another future Hall of Famer, [[Benny Friedman]]. The 2–0 finish was a premonition of Owen's future long-term success as sole head coach starting the following season.<ref>[http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/nyg/nygiants.html New York Giants (1925–Present)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In an unusual move for the time, he didn't sign a formal contract with owner [[Tim Mara]]. He would coach the next 23 years on a handshake. He retired as a player following the [[1931 New York Giants season|1931]] season, except for a brief comeback in [[1933 New York Giants season|1933]], helping the Giants go 11–3 and get to the title game, the first of eight appearances the Giants would make during his tenure.
In [[1950]], the Giants faced a powerful new foe with the arrival of the [[All-America Football Conference]] champion [[Cleveland Browns]]. Despite finishing runnerup in each of the next three seasons, Owen's "[[Umbrella Defense]]" that shut down passing attacks made life miserable for the Browns as New York won four of their six regular season meetings, while dropping an 8-3 defensive playoff struggle during the first year.


==After football-playing career==
After the Giants slipped to 3-9 in [[1953]], Owen announced his retirement as head coach of the Giants and put in charge of the team's scouting department, ending his 23+ seasons with a record of 150-99-17. After one year away from the sidelines, Owen helped both the University of South Carolina and Baylor University during the spring practice, then accepted an assistant's role with the latter school on [[July 18]], [[1955]].
The team slipped to 8–5 in [[1934 New York Giants season|1934]], but still made the NFL championship game again. Facing the 13–0 [[1934 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]], the Giants came in as huge underdogs and trailed 10–3 at halftime. The icy conditions and {{convert|9|F-change}} weather led to an adjustment between halves that became a memorable part of National Football League lore. A friend of the Maras owned a nearby shoe warehouse, and opened it on that freezing Sunday afternoon to supply the entire team with new sneakers for better footing on the frozen turf than they had had with conventional cleats, enabling them to run off 27 unanswered points in the second half for a 30–13 win and the team's first title. More than seven decades later, the contest is still remembered as "[[NFL Championship Game, 1934|the sneakers game]]."


Despite the institution of the [[NFL draft]] due to the continued dominance of the Bears and Giants, the Giants returned to the championship game in [[1935 New York Giants season|1935]] and won their second and last title under Owen in [[1938 NFL season|1938]], 23-17 over the [[1938 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]] despite being outgained in yardage 379–208, with nine points on two blocked punts the margin of victory. New York appeared in four more season-ending NFL title clashes under Owen, but lost them all. An early [[World War II]] [[The Three Stooges|Three Stooges]] [[The Three Stooges filmography|short]] referred to them when Moe sarcastically asked a hulking adversary, "Did you ever play footborl for da Giants?!"
Just weeks after the end of the [[1955 NFL season]], the Philadelphia Eagles hired [[Hugh Devore]] as head coach, then added Owen as an assistant soon after. Two seasons of struggling in Philadelphia resulted in the entire coaching staff's dismissal, with Owen eventually returning to the coaching ranks as head coach of the [[Canadian Football League]]'s [[Toronto Argonauts]] on [[September 21]], [[1959]].


In [[1950 New York Giants season|1950]], the Giants faced a powerful new foe with the arrival of the [[All-America Football Conference]] champion [[1950 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]]. The Browns consigned them to runner-up finishes in each of the next three seasons, though Owen's "umbrella defense" shut down passing attacks and made life miserable for the first-place Browns. New York won four of their six regular-season meetings but dropped a defensive playoff struggle with them after finishing tied with the Browns for the Eastern Division title at the end of the 1950 season.
Owen was dismissed by Toronto after the season ended, but resurfaced as head coach of the league's [[Calgary Stampeders]] on [[August 23]], [[1960]], again finishing up the year before being replaced. On [[December 29]] of that year, he was named head coach of the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]], a team that had won just once during the previous campaign. Owen's [[1961]] team nearly reached the playoffs, then competed in them the following year and earned CFL Coach of the Year accolades. However, after suffering a heart attack that year, Owen announced his resignation on [[January 6]], [[1963]].


Owen was the host of ''[[Pro Football Highlights]]'' on the [[DuMont Television Network]] from 1951 to 1953.
Not able to stay away from the sport, Owen was hired as head coach of the [[United Football League]]'s Syracuse Stormers on [[March 20]], 1963, but then was again named a scout for the Giants that November. Unfortunately, the latter position would last only a short while when he suffered a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. After eight days of lying in critical condition, he died on [[May 17]], [[1964]].


After the Giants slipped to 3–8 in [[1953 New York Giants season|1953]], Owen announced his retirement as head coach days before the end of the regular season, ending his 28 years at field level with the Giants.<ref name=soqugrg/><ref name=ergupsor>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZBpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4800%2C3995330 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=United Press |title=Steve Owen resigns as coach of New York Giant gridders |date=December 11, 1953 |page=2B}}</ref> As the final minutes ticked away in his last game as Giant coach, a late-game loss to eventual champion [[1953 Detroit Lions season|Detroit]], television cameras showed him standing alone on the sidelines in tears. His record as head coach was 150–99–17 ({{winning percentage|150|99|17}}) and his 150 wins are still the most in franchise history.
{{start box}}

{{succession box | title=[[New York Giants|New York Giants Head Football Coaches]] | before=[[Benny Friedman]] | years=1930&ndash;1953| after=[[Jim Lee Howell]]}}
==After the Giants==
{{end box}}
Owen remained with the Giants as head scout. During the [[1954 New York Giants season|1954]] season, he served as a collegiate spring practice assistant, first at [[1954 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|South Carolina]] and then at [[1954 Baylor Bears football team|Baylor]]. He returned to the collegiate ranks full-time in [[1955 Baylor Bears football team|1955]] as an assistant coach at Baylor.<ref name=sothcbg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wg0rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X5oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2900%2C6779316 |newspaper=Reading Eagle |location=(Pennsylvania) |agency=United Press |title=Steve Owen to help coach Baylor gridders |date=July 18, 1955 |page=13}}</ref><ref name=ssobfup>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1LEpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5eYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6329%2C6667068 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Stout Steve Owen Baylor hired to cure Baylor foldups |date=September 18, 1955 |page=1, sports}}</ref>
{{NYGiantsCoach}}

Just weeks after the end of the [[1955 Philadelphia Eagles season|1955]] season, the [[1956 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] hired [[Hugh Devore]] as head coach and added Owen as his assistant soon after.<ref name=sotjea>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ipxHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XX8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5015%2C1427709 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=(Texas) |agency=Associated Press |title=Steve Owen to join Eagles |date=January 15, 1956 |page=12A }}</ref> But two seasons of struggling in Philadelphia led to the entire coaching staff's dismissal, and Owen eventually became a head coach yet again, this time on an interim basis with the [[Canadian Football League]]'s [[1959 Toronto Argonauts season|Toronto Argonauts]] on September 21, [[1959 CFL season|1959]].

The Argonauts declined Owen's offer to stay on as full-time head coach for [[1960 CFL season|1960]], but retained him as a scout and advisor before he moved to the CFL's [[1960 Calgary Stampeders season|Calgary Stampeders]] on August 23, 1960 as interim head coach, but as in Toronto Owen was replaced at the end of the season. On December 29 of the same year, he was named head coach of the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]], a CFL team that had won just once in [[1960 Saskatchewan Roughriders season|1960]]. Owen's [[1961 CFL season|1961]] team nearly reached the playoffs, then did so [[1962 CFL season|the following year]] and was voted CFL Coach of the Year.<ref name=pec>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4iVPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y08DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4828%2C2988009 |newspaper=Prescott Evening Courier |location=(Arizona) |agency=UPI |title=Owen top Canadian pro coach |date=November 30, 1962 |page=8 }}</ref> But after suffering a [[heart attack]] late in 1962, he resigned on January 6, 1963.

Unable to stay away from the sport, however, he soon came back as head coach of the [[United Football League (1961)|United Football League]]'s [[Syracuse Stormers]] on March 20, 1963. After an 0–12 season, Owen returned to the [[1963 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] that November to scout for them.

==Death==
Owen was stricken with a terminal [[cerebral hemorrhage]] in May 1964. After eight days in critical care, Owens died at age 66 on May 17 in [[Oneida, New York]].<ref name=ssoddb/> He was buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Oneida.

Owen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of its fourth class in 1966, enshrined on September 17.<ref name=hoftiegp/><ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers by Year of Enshrinement|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/years.aspx|work=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|publisher=[[National Football League]]|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Post season
|-
!Won!!Lost!!Ties!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
![[1931 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1931 NFL season|1931]]
||7||6||1|| .538 ||5th in NFL|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1932 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1932 NFL season|1932]]
||4||6||2|| .400 ||5th in NFL|| - || - || - || -
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1933 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1933 NFL season|1933]]
||11||3||0|| .538 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1933 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1933 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]]'''</small>
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1934 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1934 NFL season|1934]]
||8||5||0|| .538 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 1 || 0 || 1.000 || <small>'''Won [[1934 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] over [[1934 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1935 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1935 NFL season|1935]]
||9||3||0|| .750 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1935 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1935 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]]'''</small>
|-
![[1936 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1936 NFL season|1936]]
||5||6||1|| .455 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1937 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1937 NFL season|1937]]
||6||3||2|| .667 ||2nd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1938 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1938 NFL season|1938]]
||8||2||1|| .800 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 1 || 0 || 1.000 || <small>'''Won [[1938 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] over [[1938 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1939 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1939 NFL season|1939]]
||9||1||1|| .900 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1939 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1939 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]'''</small>
|-
![[1940 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1940 NFL season|1940]]
||6||4||1|| .600 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1941 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1941 NFL season|1941]]
||8||3||0|| .727 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1941 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1941 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]]'''</small>
|-
![[1942 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1942 NFL season|1942]]
||5||5||1|| .500 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1943 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1943 NFL season|1943]]
||6||3||1|| .667 ||'''T-1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1943 NFL playoffs|Eastern Division playoff]] to [[1943 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1944 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1944 NFL season|1944]]
||8||1||1|| .889 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1944 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1944 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]'''</small>
|-
![[1945 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1945 NFL season|1945]]
||3||6||1|| .333 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1946 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1946 NFL season|1946]]
||7||3||1|| .700 ||'''1st in Eastern Division'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1946 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship]] to [[1946 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]]'''</small>
|-
![[1947 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1947 NFL season|1947]]
||2||8||2|| .455 ||5th in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1948 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1948 NFL season|1948]]
||4||8||0|| .333 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1949 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1949 NFL season|1949]]
||6||6||0|| .500 ||3rd in Eastern Division|| - || - || - || -
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1950 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1950 NFL season|1950]]
||10||2||0|| .833 ||'''T-1st in American Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || <small>'''Lost [[1950 NFL playoffs|American Conference playoff]] to [[1950 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]]'''</small>
|-
![[1951 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1951 NFL season|1951]]
||9||2||1|| .818 ||2nd in American Conference|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1952 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1952 NFL season|1952]]
||7||5||0|| .583 ||2nd in American Conference|| - || - || - || -
|-
![[1953 New York Giants season|NYG]]||[[1953 NFL season|1953]]
||3||9||0|| .455 ||5th in Eastern Conference|| - || - || - || -
|-
! colspan="2"|Total||153||100||17||.605||||2||8||.200||
|}

''*was an interim coach; co-coached the last two games of the 1930 season alongside [[Benny Friedman]]''

==See also==
* [[History of the New York Giants (1925–1978)]]
* [[List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*Gottehrer, Barry. ''The Giants of New York, the history of professional football's most fabulous dynasty.'' New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1963 OCLC 1356301


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Profootballhof|id=170|name=Steve Owen}}
*''Pro Football Hall of Fame:'' [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=170 Member profile]
* {{IMDb name|id=1243611|name=Steve Owen}}
*{{Find a Grave|6808729}}

{{New York Giants coach navbox}}
{{Toronto Argonauts coach navbox}}
{{Calgary Stampeders coach navbox}}
{{Saskatchewan Roughriders coach navbox}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Steve Owen—championships, awards, and honors
| list1 =
{{1927 New York Giants}}
{{1934 New York Giants}}
{{1938 New York Giants}}
{{Annis Stukus Trophy}}
{{1966 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{NFL1920s}}
{{Giants Ring of Honor}}
}}


[[Category:1898 births|Owen, Steve]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Steve}}
[[Category:1964 deaths|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:New York Giants coaches|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:1964 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian Football League coaches|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:American football guards]]
[[Category:Canton Bulldogs players|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:American football tackles]]
[[Category:Kansas City Cowboys players|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:Calgary Stampeders coaches]]
[[Category:New York Giants players|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:Cleveland Bulldogs players]]
[[Category:New York Giants|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:Hartford Blues players]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame|Owen, Steve]]
[[Category:Kansas City Blues (NFL) players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Cowboys (NFL) players]]
[[Category:New York Giants head coaches]]
[[Category:New York Giants players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
[[Category:Phillips Haymakers football coaches]]
[[Category:Phillips Haymakers football players]]
[[Category:Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts coaches]]
[[Category:United Football League (1961–1964) coaches]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Alfalfa County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Major County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Oklahoma]]

Revision as of 08:44, 1 March 2023

This article is about the Pro Football Hall of Fame player. For the College Football Hall of Fame player, see Steve Owens (American football).
Steve Owen
Posed black and white photograph of Owens wearing a grey sweatshirt and a white New York Giants baseball cap
Owen circa 1930
No. 9, 36, 44, 50, 12, 55, 6
Position:Tackle, guard
Personal information
Born:(1898-04-21)April 21, 1898
Cleo Springs, Territory of Oklahoma, U.S.
Died:May 17, 1964(1964-05-17) (aged 66)
Oneida, New York, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Aline (OK)
College:Phillips
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As player
As head coach
Head coaching record
Regular season:NFL: 153–100–17 (.598)
WIFU/CFL: 21–27–3 (.441)
Postseason:NFL: 2–8 (.200)
WIFU/CFL: 0–4 (.000)
Career:NFL: 155–108–17 (.584)
WIFU/CFL: 21–31–3 (.409)
Player stats at PFR
Coaching stats at PFR

Stephen Joseph Owen (April 21, 1898 – May 17, 1964)[1] was an American professional football player and coach. He earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s New York Giants for 24 seasons, from 1930 to 1953.[2][3]

Owen's skill at designing defenses, his fundamentals-centered approach to the game and his innovative "A formation," a variation on the single-wing, also helped his offenses thrive and were key to his success. His personal style was memorable for the odd congruence of gravelly voice and easy disposition to go with his perpetual tobacco chewing.

Early life

Born in Cleo Springs in Oklahoma Territory, Owen was raised in an area known as the Cherokee Strip, where his original goal was to become a jockey, a dream denied by his 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 230 lb (104 kg) frame that earned him the nickname "Stout Steve."

While working on a cattle ranch, he attended Phillips University in Enid, where he was an all-around athlete in 1917-18. He supplemented his income at that time as a professional wrestler under the pseudonym "Jack O'Brien," a ruse to preserve his amateur status.

Football career

Owen served in the U.S. Army training corps in World War I, then returned to coach for a year at Phillips before going to work in oil fields in various parts of the Southwest. He started to play pro football in 1924, at $50 a game, for the NFL's Kansas City Cowboys (who played all their games on the road). After playing for the Cowboys and then the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1925, he was sold to the New York Giants in 1926 for $500, joining his brother Bill. After a futile attempt to get a cut of the purchase price from Kansas City coach Leroy Andrews, he later said of the sale:[4]

I had seen a lot of fat hogs go for more than they paid for me. But in those days, a fat hog was a lot more valuable than a fat tackle. I was going to New York even if I had to walk there.

His leadership became clearly evident during the 1927 season as captain of a team that outscored opponents 197–20, went 11–1–1 and won the NFL title.

In 1930, he was promoted to co-player-coach for the final two games of the season with another future Hall of Famer, Benny Friedman. The 2–0 finish was a premonition of Owen's future long-term success as sole head coach starting the following season.[5] In an unusual move for the time, he didn't sign a formal contract with owner Tim Mara. He would coach the next 23 years on a handshake. He retired as a player following the 1931 season, except for a brief comeback in 1933, helping the Giants go 11–3 and get to the title game, the first of eight appearances the Giants would make during his tenure.

After football-playing career

The team slipped to 8–5 in 1934, but still made the NFL championship game again. Facing the 13–0 Chicago Bears, the Giants came in as huge underdogs and trailed 10–3 at halftime. The icy conditions and 9 °F (5.0 °C) weather led to an adjustment between halves that became a memorable part of National Football League lore. A friend of the Maras owned a nearby shoe warehouse, and opened it on that freezing Sunday afternoon to supply the entire team with new sneakers for better footing on the frozen turf than they had had with conventional cleats, enabling them to run off 27 unanswered points in the second half for a 30–13 win and the team's first title. More than seven decades later, the contest is still remembered as "the sneakers game."

Despite the institution of the NFL draft due to the continued dominance of the Bears and Giants, the Giants returned to the championship game in 1935 and won their second and last title under Owen in 1938, 23-17 over the Green Bay Packers despite being outgained in yardage 379–208, with nine points on two blocked punts the margin of victory. New York appeared in four more season-ending NFL title clashes under Owen, but lost them all. An early World War II Three Stooges short referred to them when Moe sarcastically asked a hulking adversary, "Did you ever play footborl for da Giants?!"

In 1950, the Giants faced a powerful new foe with the arrival of the All-America Football Conference champion Cleveland Browns. The Browns consigned them to runner-up finishes in each of the next three seasons, though Owen's "umbrella defense" shut down passing attacks and made life miserable for the first-place Browns. New York won four of their six regular-season meetings but dropped a defensive playoff struggle with them after finishing tied with the Browns for the Eastern Division title at the end of the 1950 season.

Owen was the host of Pro Football Highlights on the DuMont Television Network from 1951 to 1953.

After the Giants slipped to 3–8 in 1953, Owen announced his retirement as head coach days before the end of the regular season, ending his 28 years at field level with the Giants.[2][6] As the final minutes ticked away in his last game as Giant coach, a late-game loss to eventual champion Detroit, television cameras showed him standing alone on the sidelines in tears. His record as head coach was 150–99–17 (.596) and his 150 wins are still the most in franchise history.

After the Giants

Owen remained with the Giants as head scout. During the 1954 season, he served as a collegiate spring practice assistant, first at South Carolina and then at Baylor. He returned to the collegiate ranks full-time in 1955 as an assistant coach at Baylor.[7][8]

Just weeks after the end of the 1955 season, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Hugh Devore as head coach and added Owen as his assistant soon after.[9] But two seasons of struggling in Philadelphia led to the entire coaching staff's dismissal, and Owen eventually became a head coach yet again, this time on an interim basis with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts on September 21, 1959.

The Argonauts declined Owen's offer to stay on as full-time head coach for 1960, but retained him as a scout and advisor before he moved to the CFL's Calgary Stampeders on August 23, 1960 as interim head coach, but as in Toronto Owen was replaced at the end of the season. On December 29 of the same year, he was named head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, a CFL team that had won just once in 1960. Owen's 1961 team nearly reached the playoffs, then did so the following year and was voted CFL Coach of the Year.[10] But after suffering a heart attack late in 1962, he resigned on January 6, 1963.

Unable to stay away from the sport, however, he soon came back as head coach of the United Football League's Syracuse Stormers on March 20, 1963. After an 0–12 season, Owen returned to the New York Giants that November to scout for them.

Death

Owen was stricken with a terminal cerebral hemorrhage in May 1964. After eight days in critical care, Owens died at age 66 on May 17 in Oneida, New York.[1] He was buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Oneida.

Owen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of its fourth class in 1966, enshrined on September 17.[3][11]

Head coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NYG 1931 7 6 1 .538 5th in NFL - - - -
NYG 1932 4 6 2 .400 5th in NFL - - - -
NYG 1933 11 3 0 .538 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Chicago Bears
NYG 1934 8 5 0 .538 1st in Eastern Division 1 0 1.000 Won NFL Championship over Chicago Bears
NYG 1935 9 3 0 .750 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Detroit Lions
NYG 1936 5 6 1 .455 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1937 6 3 2 .667 2nd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1938 8 2 1 .800 1st in Eastern Division 1 0 1.000 Won NFL Championship over Green Bay Packers
NYG 1939 9 1 1 .900 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Green Bay Packers
NYG 1940 6 4 1 .600 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1941 8 3 0 .727 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Chicago Bears
NYG 1942 5 5 1 .500 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1943 6 3 1 .667 T-1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost Eastern Division playoff to Washington Redskins
NYG 1944 8 1 1 .889 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Green Bay Packers
NYG 1945 3 6 1 .333 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1946 7 3 1 .700 1st in Eastern Division 0 1 .000 Lost NFL Championship to Chicago Bears
NYG 1947 2 8 2 .455 5th in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1948 4 8 0 .333 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1949 6 6 0 .500 3rd in Eastern Division - - - -
NYG 1950 10 2 0 .833 T-1st in American Conference 0 1 .000 Lost American Conference playoff to Cleveland Browns
NYG 1951 9 2 1 .818 2nd in American Conference - - - -
NYG 1952 7 5 0 .583 2nd in American Conference - - - -
NYG 1953 3 9 0 .455 5th in Eastern Conference - - - -
Total 153 100 17 .605 2 8 .200

*was an interim coach; co-coached the last two games of the 1930 season alongside Benny Friedman

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Stout Steve Owen, former Giants' coaching great, dies". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. May 18, 1964. p. 12.
  2. ^ a b "Steve Owen quits grid Giants". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 11, 1953. p. 26.
  3. ^ a b "Hall of fame to induct 8 grid pros". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. September 15, 1966. p. 40.
  4. ^ Gottehrer. pg. 42–3
  5. ^ New York Giants (1925–Present)
  6. ^ "Steve Owen resigns as coach of New York Giant gridders". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. United Press. December 11, 1953. p. 2B.
  7. ^ "Steve Owen to help coach Baylor gridders". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). United Press. July 18, 1955. p. 13.
  8. ^ "Stout Steve Owen Baylor hired to cure Baylor foldups". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 18, 1955. p. 1, sports.
  9. ^ "Steve Owen to join Eagles". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). Associated Press. January 15, 1956. p. 12A.
  10. ^ "Owen top Canadian pro coach". Prescott Evening Courier. (Arizona). UPI. November 30, 1962. p. 8.
  11. ^ "Hall of Famers by Year of Enshrinement". Pro Football Hall of Fame. National Football League. Retrieved 4 February 2013.

Sources

  • Gottehrer, Barry. The Giants of New York, the history of professional football's most fabulous dynasty. New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1963 OCLC 1356301

External links

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