The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft .
Photo by Tom Hauck / Icon Sportswire
Photo Courtesy of UTC Mocs Athletics / D _ Rutemeyer
Terrell Owens runs after the catch as a 49er in 2003 Terrell Owens stretching out for a pass in College
“ My mom made our clothes when we were young because she couldn ’ t afford to go out and buy things like Tretorn shoes , Nike ’ s , Brook ’ s or Jordan ’ s or other name brands like Guess or Members Only . She just couldn ’ t afford it . She wanted us to dress nice so when she had the money to buy those things , she did , but it wasn ’ t on a regular occurrence . She was a seamstress , and she learned how to make clothes . She did that to make ends meet and to make extra money on the side . I ’ ve been in the house where people come over , and she ’ d charge people for alterations of their pants or dresses , their jackets , all types of clothing . She ’ s made bridesmaid ’ s dresses and things of that nature . That ’ s a part of me . That DNA has been in me , and I didn ’ t know it . I ’ m bringing it back to life and bringing it to fruition .”
Although Terrell wasn ’ t an All-American coming out of Benjamin Russell High School , he was able to play football at the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga , which is an FCS school .
The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft .
“ Obviously , I wanted to be a good player ,” Terrell said . “ I wanted to be in the same breath of when people talk of some of the greatest guys . You talk about Jerry Rice and Steve Young . That ’ s all I knew at that point during my first few years . I didn ’ t watch a lot of football when I grew up because my grandmother was very , very strict . I didn ’ t watch a lot of TV . I didn ’ t even know who Jerry Rice was until probably my junior year in college . I found it very ironic that I ended up getting drafted by the 49ers . I was able to establish myself on the football field by playing consistently and building my name by some of the touchdown celebrations that I did . I became somewhat of must-see TV in a sense . People wanted to watch me play . People wanted to see what I was going to do next . People not only watched for the entertainment factor but the fact that I was becoming a great player right before everybody ’ s eyes .”
The entertainment he provided came in different forms . He grabbed pom-poms from cheerleaders and danced with them . He celebrated on the star in Dallas . He even brought out a Sharpie and signed a football after scoring a touchdown .
“ In my mind , I was thinking that if I score , I ’ m gonna dance because I know the cameras are going to be on me and somebody ’ s got to see me ,” he said . “ After that first touchdown , I got the reaction from it , and then I thought I had to do something again . Every week after that and every year after that , I felt like I had to keep it going . That ’ s why a lot of people know me . They know the name . If they don ’ t know the name Terrell Owens , they know the initials . They will know T . O .”
That name recognition is one of the tools he is using to venture out into creating his new business . Owens has started his new company entitled Prototype 81 . The company is slated to sell workout gear . For Owens and people around him , clothing and fashion were a logical step for him to take .
“ People kept asking me why haven ’ t I endorsed or have my own clothing line and why haven ’ t I done anything associated with fitness and things of that nature ,” said Owens . “ People have seen me dress . I think I dress pretty well . I ’ ve always been in pretty decent shape . I had a friend over , and she said ’ You should do your own line .’”
Coach & Player Magazine • Summer 2017 11