As a defensive lineman at Middleburg High School, Owens was a first-team All-Area tight end and second-team All-Area. Owens caught 19 passes for 242 yards and recorded 46 tackles and four sacks as a senior, as well as averaging 14 yards per catch, had 51 tackles, three sacks and four blocked kicks as a junior. He was selected to athletic director's honor roll in his final two years. In 2006, Owens' high school number was retired before a Middleburg High School football game.
College career
While majoring in sports administration at the University of Louisville, Owens played under former Vikings offensive coordinatorScott Linehan. In 1999, he was redshirted as a freshman. The following year, Owens played in all 12 games, starting three. He was selected to Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Although he had just one catch, it went for a 10-yard touchdown in a shutout win over Grambling He also served as the team's backup longsnapper. In 2001, he played in thirteen games, and had three catches on the season, two of which went for touchdowns, including a nine-yard touchdown pass against Southern Miss and a 22-yarder against TCU. In 2002, Owens appeared in all thirteen games with starts in six of the last seven games. He was ranked sixth on the team with a career-high 20 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a career-high six balls for 72 yards and a score against TCU in his first start of the season, and had five catches for 39 yards against Marshall University in the GMAC Bowl. In his senior year, he played in all thirteen games with four starts and finished seventh on the team with twelve catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Against Temple, he caught two passes for twelve yards and a touchdown. He also had two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown at South Florida as well as grabbing two catches for 22 yards vs. Tulane. He also recorded a seven-yard touchdown reception at Cincinnati. Owens finished his career with 36 catches for 371 yards and eight touchdowns, while also serving as the Cardinals' longsnapper.
In his three-year career, he accumulated 16 catches for 123 yards and one touchdown. In 2004, Owens started two of the eight games he played in. He caught eight passes for 69 yards and made three special teams tackles. He joined defensive tackleSpencer Johnson and long snapperCullen Loeffler as the only rookie free agents to make the opening-day roster in 2004 and was one of eight Vikings rookies to start a 2004 regular-season game. Owens joined LS Cullen Loeffler in a game vs. Chicago, opening at halfback and catching two passes for 16 yards. At Houston, he started his second consecutive game, catching three passes for 17 yards in the 36–28 overtime win. In week two of the 2006 season, Owens caught a 16-yard touchdown pass, his first career touchdown, on a fake field goal attempt, thrown by Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell. On his way to the endzone, Owens dodged an attempted tackle by Carolina Panthersdefensive endJulius Peppers. The Vikings won the game 16–13 in overtime.
