NEWS RELEASE:
Ashland University Football Coach Lee Owens is set to speak at the Bucyrus men’s Breakfast Dec. 13 at the Bucyrus Community Hospital cafeteria at 7 a.m.
Coach Lee Owens has a reputation for being exceptional when it comes to producing offensive game plans on a weekly basis during the football season. Since arriving at Ashland University, Owens has constructed a football program that ranks among the best in the country. The 2017 season will be Owens’ 14th at Ashland. His tenure has been marked by team and individual success on and off the gridiron. Owens is the only football coach in school history to direct more than one team to the NCAA playoffs (2007, 2008, 2012 and 2015). He’s also the lone Ashland University Head Football Coach to win an NCAA postseason encounter. Following the 2015 season, Owens was named the “American Football Coaches Association” (AFCA) Division II Region 3 Coach of the Year and “Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.” Co-Coach of the Year. Also, the Eagles finished ranked No. 10 in the “American Football Coaches Association” (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Coach Owens was named the “Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference” Coach of the Year in 2005.
As a head coach on the high school and college levels for 33 years, Owens has a 227-137-2, (.623) record. He came to Ashland from the University of Akron, where he coached from 1995-2003. Owens’ record as a college head coach is 138-105. His record at AU is 98-44 (.690). At Ashland, Owens is second in career wins, and first in career winning percentage.
Owens didn’t have to be educated about Ashland University and its football program. The AU head coach is originally from nearby Mansfield, and he’s a graduate of Madison High School. Owens earned his Master of Education degree from Ashland in 1981. Owens earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bluffton College in 1977.
The Owens Era at Akron was one of the most thrilling tenures in school history. Owens led Akron to a 34-20 win over Marshall in 2002, Akron’s first victory ever over a Top-25 team. He was on the sidelines for one of the biggest wins in school history, a 35-29 conquest of Navy in 1999. Akron trailed in that game, 23-0. That’s the largest come-from-behind win in school history and the greatest lead lost in 121 years of Navy football. Owens guided Akron to its first consecutive winning seasons since the school became a Division I-A member (1999-2000). In 2000, Akron won a share of the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division title. He also coached the school’s first consensus All-America, Dwight Smith, who played on the Super Bowl-Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His last several seasons at Akron saw the Zips offense flourish to the point where in 2003, the Zips were sixth in the country in pass offense (311.3 ypg.), ninth in total offense (470.25 ypg.) and 11th in scoring (36.25 ppg.). In 2002, Akron was 28th in the nation in yards per game. Quarterback Charlie Frye rewrote the school record book for completions, attempts, passing yards, total offense and completion percentage. Frye was regarded as one of the top signal callers in the country and was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the 2005 NFL draft.
In 2000 and 2001, the Zips led the MAC Academic Team and in 2001, the AFCA presented Akron with an academic achievement award for a graduation rate over 70 percent. In 1995 when Owens arrived on campus, the football program’s graduation rate was 17 percent. Upon Owens’ departure, Akron averaged 58 percent on the NCAA graduation report. Six members of the 2003 senior class had a grade-point average that exceeded 3.0.
He was the honorary chairman for Kids News Day at Akron Children’s Hospital, a community-wide fundraising project. Owens is heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He served on the inaugural board for the First Tee Chapter of Akron – a program designed to expose disadvantaged youth to the game of golf and to prepare them for growth and leadership opportunities.
Owens came to Akron after a stint as an assistant coach at Ohio State (1992-95). While at Ohio State, Owens helped the Buckeyes to a 27-8-2 record and a Big Ten co-championship in 1993. Ohio State made appearances in the Citrus Bowl (1993, 1995) and Holiday Bowl (1994) during his stay in Columbus.
He was the Athletic Director and head football coach at Massillon Washington High School (1988-92), where he led the Tigers to a 35-13 mark in four seasons. His Massillon teams made three consecutive appearances in the state playoffs and his 1989 and 1991 units advanced to the state semifinals. While at Massillon, Owens played a major role in upgrading the school’s athletic facilities. He initiated a community-wide drive to privately fund more than $800,000 of improvements to the athletic complex at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
From 1983-87, Owens was the head coach at Division II Galion. His record there was 33-11-1. His 1985 Galion team won the OHSAA State Championship, going 14-0. In the state championship game, Galion downed Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 6-0. Owens was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year and was presented with the key to the city of Galion.
Owens and his wife, Dianne, are the parents of four adult children – Ben, Andy, Leanne and Molly. They have seven grandchildren.