State-Level Induction Awaits Former Massillon Coach Lee Owens

Former Massillon Coach Lee Owens has been selected by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to be inducted into their Hall of Fame.  The ceremony will be held at Hilton Easton in Columbus on June 14, with a social hour at 6:00 pm, followed by the dinner and ceremony at 7:00 pm.  For those wishing to attend, banquet tickets and hotel rooms at a discount can be purchased at ohsfca.net.

Owens was the head coach of the Tigers in 1988-91 and compiled a record of 35 wins and 14 losses.  During that time, he qualified for the playoffs three times, won six of nine playoff games and captured two regional championships.  And he won three of four games against the Bulldogs.  He also spearheaded an effort to install the first ever artificial playing surface at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and was instrumentation in making many other stadium improvements.

Following Massillon, he was an assistant coach at Ohio State for three years, parlaying that experience into a head coaching position at the University of Akron, a post he held for nine years.  In 2000 the Zips finished first in the MAC East and in 2003 they were second.  But his greatest achievement there might have been making an immediate impact on player graduation rate, improving it from 18% to 83%.

His next eighteen seasons were spent leading the Ashland University Eagles of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  His overall record there was a very fine 123-44, with his teams capturing four league championships and securing six NCAA Division II playoff qualifications.  Four times he was named Conference Coach of the Year.

Congratulations to Coach Lee Owens.