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Burgess Owens              

American Politician, Nonprofit Executive & Former Professional Football Player

Burgess Owens is the Congressman from Utah’s Fourth Congressional District. Born in the segregated South, he saw people of all backgrounds come together to work tirelessly against adversity.

As a young man, Owens was one of the first four black athletes recruited to play football at the University of Miami and the third black student there to receive a scholarship, ultimately earning BS in biology and chemistry. He was the 13th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft and joined the New York Jets, later playing safety for ten seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, winning the Superbowl with the 1980 Raiders’ team.

After retiring from the NFL, Owens worked in the corporate sales world and eventually moved the Owens family to beautiful Utah. Before being elected to Congress, he started Second Chance 4 Youth, a non-profit dedicated to helping troubled and incarcerated youth.

Owens now serves as a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Owens believes in dreaming big and follows the four guiding principles of faith, family, free markets, and education.

Speech Topics


Aristocrats, Settlers and Pioneers

Burgess discusses the types of men and women who forged our nation and expanded its boundaries. He challenges all to consider how we can best prepare and task ourselves to build on the vision of the Founders and Builders of our American Way.

The Miracle of the American Way:

An insightful talk on Freedom and Opportunity, Service and Compassion that is an inherent by-product of the Free Enterprise System. What makes the system we live in the magnet for millions who don’t?

The Camera...

A prospective and technique learned on the football field that can be applied to real world experiences and that inevitably leads to a world view as an eternal optimist.

The 13th Season..

A lighthearted discussion about an athletic career spanning over 12 seasons, culminating in the 13th with NFL Super Bowl Championship. Burgess shares analogies and success principles learned through this chapter of his life that are universal to success, regardless of life’s endeavors...

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