- Utah Rep. Burgess Owens was a key member of the Oakland Raiders squad that claimed Super Bowl XV 45 years ago.
- The lawmaker draws comparisons between the late iconoclastic Raiders owner Al Davis and President Donald Trump.
- Owens said he lost interest in the NFL after some players began taking a knee during the national anthem.
So what’s more difficult: Running a bill through Congress — or keeping speedy NFL receivers and tight ends out of the end zone on Super Bowl Sunday?
Only one guy serving in the 119th U.S. Congress can authoritatively answer that question: Utah Rep. Burgess Owens.
The Republican lawmaker spent a decade in the NFL, playing safety for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders.
He snagged an impressive 30 interceptions — but his career highlight was winning Super Bowl XV 45 years ago alongside Raiders’ defensive greats such as Lester Hayes, John Matuszak and Ted Hendricks.
If Owens had a dollar for each time he happily allowed a fan or voter/constituent to slip on his Super Bowl XV ring, he’d surely have enough cash to, well, buy a pretty good ticket to Sunday’s Big Game.
After recently speaking with a Deseret News reporter about a school choice/tax incentive bill that he’s sponsoring in Washington, the lawmaker reflected briefly on his own Super Bowl Sunday almost a half-century ago.
A blend of hard work, preparation and, yes, plenty of pre-game anxiety, defined that title-winning Oakland Raiders squad, recalled Owens.
Prior to the Jan. 25, 1981, Super Bowl game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Raiders developed an unshakable trust for every guy wearing silver-and-black. That sort of team confidence, he added, was a special rarity.
“All you had to do was focus on your position,” Owens said. “You knew everyone else would do their job.”
Owens said he’s still often asked how he felt the day after winning the Super Bowl. “It’s tough to explain because of everything you go through.”
But he nimbly extends his answer to that frequent question by blending his former career highlight as a pro football player with a much more recent political highlight: The closest thing to the joy of winning a Super Bowl, he said, “was Nov. 6th” — when Donald Trump was reelected president.
“We realized we were coming back with policies making ‘America First.’ ... The American people could now give a sigh of relief that we were getting things back in order.”
Similarities between Al Davis — and Donald Trump
Owens also finds comparisons between late iconic Raiders owner Al Davis — “Just Win, Baby!” — and the 47th president.
“Al had a culture that was very unique,” he said. “Guys would come from all other teams (who were considered) too wild, too crazy, too old, and too dysfunctional — and they would fit in just right on the Raiders team.”
Davis’ team philosophy, added Owens, was simple: “Come as you are. Give everything you can. And when you step onto the field, I just want to win.”
The 1980 Raiders were a football amalgam of big personalities — but all those unique characteristics were set aside to follow Davis’ winning game plan.
“I see that happening right now,” said the former NFL safety.
“We have President Trump. He’s a power that we have not seen in our lifetime. And because of the respect that we have, we want to make sure that, as a team, we do everything we can so that, again, the team wins.”
Owens is a busy man these days. He rarely gives his former life as an NFL veteran much thought. In fact, he’s kind of soured on the pro game.
“It’s sad to say, but when (NFL players) started kneeling (during the national anthem) five years ago, I stopped watching,” he said. “I have not watched a Super Bowl game since.”
So don’t bother asking the Utah congressman who’s going to win Sunday’s big game. “I have no idea what’s going on in the NFL world nowadays,” he said, laughing.
Owens did note he’s a big fan of the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach — who previously coached the Philadelphia Eagles. “I’m an Andy Reid fan. I spent 23 years in Philadelphia and Andy’s a class act.”
Despite being forever associated with the Super Bowl, Owens said the legislative work that he’s doing today in areas such as education are his most life-defining efforts.
“The mission for many of us is to make sure that our kids have the best opportunity to move forward and keep the American dream alive.”
