Owens attended Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, and he was a three-sport letter-winner and star in football, basketball, and Track. In football, as a senior, he was an all—OIA white division selection, and an All-State honourable mention. As a sophomore, he garnered first team All-OIA Red Division honours, and All-State honourable-mention accolades. He was also a basketball star and as a senior, he led his team to the OIA state basketball championship. He has three children: Chad Jr., Areana, and Sierra-Lynn with his wife, Rena Owens. They’ve been together for 25 years, married for 15 years.
Owens was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars after his NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts where he muffed three punts. He was re-signed to the Jaguars' practice squad a few days later. Playing with the Jaguars in his first pre-season game of the 2006 season, Owens caught a 62-yard pass and scored his first NFL touchdown.
Owens signed with agent Richard "Bruno" Burnoski and signed a contract with the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League. Owens got off to a fast start with the Crush, generating over 1600 combined yards but tore his ACL, ending his season after nine games.
Montreal Alouettes
On July 14, 2009, Owens signed a practice roster agreement with the Montreal Alouettes. He was released on October 1. He was re-signed to the practice roster on October 8 and was considered a part of the 97th Grey Cup Championship team for participating in a game during the regular season.
On June 24, 2010, the Toronto Argonauts acquired Owens from the Alouettes in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 CFL Draft. On November 25, 2010, Owens was named the most outstanding special teams player in the Canadian Football League for the 2010 season. Owens was a unanimous selection after leading the CFL in punt, kickoff, missed field goal returns and all-purpose yards and finishing tied for the league lead in return touchdowns. He became just the fifth player in league history to have over 1,000 punt and kick return yards in a season. On November 1, 2012, in the final regular-season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Owens set the all-time record for all-purpose yards in a single season, surpassing Pinball Clemons' 1997 total of 3,840 yards. Owens did so with a 29-yard kickoff return halfway through the 2nd quarter. He finished the season with 3863 all-purpose yards, setting not only a CFL record, but also a professional football record as well. In his third full season in Toronto, Owens became the first player in professional football to record at least 3,000 combined yards in back-to-back seasons. On November 22, 2012, Owens won the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award finishing ahead of Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish in voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada as well as the eight CFL head coaches. On November 25, 2012, Owens and the Argonauts finished the 2012 season with the 100th Grey Cup Championship. Owens was rated the best player in the league on the TSN Top 50 players of 2012. On June 8, 2013, the Argos and Owens agreed to a two-year contract extension. The deal was rumoured to make Owens the highest-paid non-quarterback in the CFL. The Argonauts did not resign Owens at the conclusion of the 2015 CFL season, rendering Owens a free agent.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
On February 11, 2016, Owens agreed to a one-year contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a free agent. Subsequently, it was announced on October 4, after playing 12 games with the Tiger-Cats, that Owens would miss the remainder of the 2016 CFL season due to a broken foot he sustained in a game against the Montreal Alouettes. He would subsequently re-enter Free Agency after only a season with the organization.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On February 15, 2017, Owens agreed to a two-year deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was announced, on June 21, 2017, that Owens was placed on the six-game injured list due to an apparent foot injury he likely sustained while with the Tiger-Cats. Owens made his Roughriders debut on October 20, 2017 in a winning effort against the Calgary Stampeders recording five receptions with seventy eight yards. Despite his strong performance at the end of the 2017 Saskatchewan Roughriders campaign, he was part of final roster cuts for the Riders on June 9, 2018. His age and performance relative to younger players are believed to be contributing factors affecting the decision to cut ties with the player.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II)
Owens returned to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when he signed a practice roster deal on September 11, 2018. He was released on October 1, 2018 without having played in a game.
Career statistics
NFL stats
AFL stats
CFL stats
MMA career
In the off-season following the 2012 CFL season, Owens decided to pursue MMA as a form of off-season training. Then Argos GM Jim Barker openly expressed his displeasure with Owens's fighting in MMA, and was quoted as saying, "I think he's making a bad decision, our organization thinks he's making a bad decision". On April 6, 2013, Owens defeated Junya Tevaga by unanimous decision in an amateur bout. The organization that oversaw the fight was Destiny MMA.
Personal life
In January 2015, Owens moved from Hawaii to Canada full-time; he now resides in Mississauga, Ontario.
