The University of the South

The Honorable Nathaniel Owens, C'70 was not only the firstAfrican-American varsity athlete at Sewanee, he was also the firstAfrican-American to graduate from the College. The four-yearletterman in football was team captain and two-time All-CAC. Owensled Sewanee in rushing in 1967, 68, and 69. He also led the team inscoring and rushing touchdowns in '69. Owens also lettered inwrestling and was the CAC champion in 1968 at 191 pounds. Offered acontract by the Cincinnati Bengals, Owens decided to forgo aprofessional football career, choosing instead to enroll in lawschool. He was later elected a district court judge in Alabama in1980.