Owens was the youngest president of the University of Tampa when he was appointed in 1971. Adding to the celebrity expectations, journalist
David Brinkley, then of
NBC News, attended his inauguration in Oct. 2, 1972.
Closing the football program Tampa had just attempted to elevate its program to championship level.
Tampa Stadium, later home of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was then newly built. The team, in the preliminary stages of joining
Division I, defeated the
Miami Hurricanes in 1970 31–14, prompting the Hurricanes to hire away coach
Fran Curci in 1971. The team was formally accepted into Division I in 1971. In 1972 the team beat Miami again 7-0 and won the
Tangerine Bowl. The
1973 NFL draft included team members
John Matuszak,
Paul Orndorff and
Wilbur Grooms. However, attendance did not pick up with the success. Owens reported that $755,000 from the university
endowment had been spent on the program from 1972 to 1974 and that by spending at that rate the program would soon
bankrupt the university. The Trustees cancelled the program at the end of the 1974 season. Reports at the time said Owens had to carry a weapon because of threats on his life following the program's termination.
Other accomplishments In other developments, Owens launched an
ROTC program in 1971 at a time when other schools were dropping them. The school's landmark
Plant Hall was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1972 the school launched a dual degree program with the
Georgia Institute of Technology. During Owens' tenure as president, the school acquired the former Florida State Fairgrounds, increasing the campus size to from In 1973 University began its first graduate program, the
Master of Business Administration. ==Northwest Missouri==