Soaring to new heightsLee Owens '77
Head football coach, Ashland University
Major: Education (history)
Quick study. Lee earned his bachelor’s degree in three years at Bluffton. "I was overwhelmed with the quality of the people and professors," he recalls. He learned the value of a Christian-based education, which he has used throughout his career.
That wasn’t in the playbook. After graduation, Lee thought about studying law. A friend invited him to teach and coach football that fall at Waynesfield Goshen High School. Coaching was something he had never considered before, but once he started, he knew it was what he wanted to do. "I absolutely fell in love with it," says Lee. "I couldn’t believe they were paying me to do it."
Coach of the year. Lee has led the football programs at several Ohio high schools, including the legendary Massillon Washington High School. At Galion, his team won the state championship in 1985. He moved on to the college ranks in 1991 when he became assistant offensive line coach for The Ohio State University Buckeyes. He later became head coach at the University of Akron, where his team won a conference championship. In Lee’s past four years at Ashland University, the Eagles have soared to new heights. Their record of 9-2 in 2005 earned him Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference coach of the year honors.
Team spirit. While building a winning team involves attracting talented players, says Lee, it also includes infusing a team with work ethic, mutual trust and confidence, and passion. Passion, for Lee, refers to action as well as emotion. It means never surrendering and it translates into working through adversity, he says. Trust is also critical; players must be able to trust each other and their coaches and coaches must trust their players.
Student-athletes. In Lee’s five years at Akron, the graduation rate among football players grew from 17 percent to over 70 percent.
Making a difference. While everyone loves to win, the most rewarding part of being a coach, says Lee, is making a difference in the lives of young people. "You always feel you have an impact," he says. One of his most touching moments occurred when a former player told Lee that he had learned from him how to be a husband and a father. "When you’re getting that kind of feedback, I don’t know how you can put a price on that."
Divine playbook. Lee teaches a Sunday school class for teenagers at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashland. "I just really enjoy it," he says. He wants to be Sunday school teacher of the year.
