Strong Safety
No. 22
Miami
"Owens continued to mature as one of the outstanding young strong safeties in football today. He led the team with three interceptions for 68 yards and a touchdown- he picked off two Bert Jones aerials and returned one 29 yards for a touchdown in the season finale; the other interception came against New England. He also scored a touchdown on a blocked punt recovery against Baltimore in the first meeting between the teams, blocked a field goal against Buffalo in the Jets victory at Shea, and had a quarterback sack on a safety blitz.
He was the Jets rookie of the year as selected by sportswriters in 1973, recipient of all-rookie honors by UPI and Pro Football Weekly, and has continued to grow in the job. Charley Winner says Owens has the potential to become a great defensive back. In 1973 he provided Jet fans with one of the most exciting plays of the year when he took a kickoff back for a touchdown 82 yards against Denver in the home opener.
Drafted No. 1 in 1973, Burgess has started 28 consecutive games at strong safety. He has great speed and good range and is a good leader of the defense.
Burgess was an offensive halfback in high school, gaining over 1,500 yards with 19 touchdowns. He majored in marine biology and plans to go into dentistry. His father is a professor of agronomy at Florida A&M. Burgess is a neighbor of linebacker Bert Cooper, a 1975 Jet draft choice. His hometown is Tallahassee, Florida."
-The New York Jets Official 1975 Yearbook
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