R.C. Owens, the Shreveport, Louisiana, native who excelled in athletics during the 1950s at Caldwell’s College of Idaho, was among nine athletes named April 22 to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame based in Kansas City.
Owens scored 2,155 points and had 2,142 rebounds in 99 games at College of Idaho between 1952 and 1955, averaging 21.8 points and 21.6 rebounds a game. He recorded 99 consecutive double-doubles, leading the Coyotes to 1955-56 league titles.
Owens died at 77 in June 2012.
A two-sport star, Owens talked his College of Idaho teammate and roommate Elgin Baylor out of playing football in Caldwell, and Baylor became a basketball legend. But Owens himself became a pro football star and was enshrined into the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame.
Known as “Alley Oop” Owens for his jumping prowess, receiver Owens and QB Y.A. Tittle were a formidable pair, with Owens catching 206 passes for 3,285 yards and 22 touchdowns for San Francisco from 1957-61. He jumped and blocked field goals, causing pro football to make a goaltending rule.
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