NIU hall of famer Walt Owens dies at 87
September 21, 2020
DeKALB — NIU hall of famer Walt Owens died Sunday. Coach “O” was 87 years old.
Owens was the baseball coach from 1976 to 1982, winning 133 games. He was also an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team from 1973 to 1978. He was an NIU faculty member from 1973 to 2011.
He was an emeritus professor by the time of his retirement. Over his years at NIU, he mentored thousands of students, Larry Bolles, Owen’s best friend said.
He also served on the Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities and the Task Force on Racial Discrimination and Sexual Harassment.
Beyond NIU, Owens played in the Negro Leagues with the Detroit Stars from 1953 to 1955, and Owens remained in the city as a teacher for its public schools and served as a coach in multiple sports.
He was on the board for the National Congress of Black Faculty as well as a member of the Illinois Committee on Black Concerns in Higher Education.
I played basketball and ran track for Coach Owens at Denby High School in Detroit. He taught us lessons about sports, teamwork, and about life. 50 years later, those lessons are just as important and relevant as they were back then. He will be greatly missed.
Coach Owens was my high school basketball coach at Detroit Denby from 1968-70. His “life talks” during each practice were more important than the basketball he taught, even though he was a great coach, too. He talked to us about winning in life and how important doing things right off the court were as important as winning on the court. I never knew why he took a chance on me, but he changed my life. RIP, Coach.