Artie Owens Arthur Gene Owens ( born January 14 , 1953 in Montgomery , Alabama ) was an American football running back , return specialist , and receiver that played collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers . He was also a track runner for the Mountaineers . Owens was primarily known for playing in the National Football League and also in the United States Football League . High school career . Artie Owens moved from Alabama to Pennsylvania as a youth . As a senior , Owens led the Stroudsburg High School Mountaineers to an 11 - 0 record and established Pennsylvania records for touchdowns , with 41 , and yards rushing , with 2 , 061 . He was named a Kodak All - American , UPI and AP all - state , all - Big 33 , all - Lehigh Valley and all - Eastern Pennsylvania for Coach Fred Ross . Owens also was on the Mounties ' basketball and track teams , and once ran the 100 - yard dash in 9 . 8 seconds . Collegiate career . Football . Artie Owens arrived at West Virginia in 1972 . Owens saw limited time as a freshman , only rushing for 72 yards and one touchdown . He also had 369 return yards , along with an 85 yard kick return . As a sophomore in 1973 , Owens was the projected starter at the beginning of the season . But an injury led to newcomer Dwayne Woods to assume to role for the rest of the season . Owens only rushed for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns , but he did have 291 return yards with a kick return touchdown of 95 yards against Penn State . His sophomore season marked his final season of returning punts . In his junior season of 1974 , Owens went injury - free as he finally started through a whole season . His stats showed as well , as he rushed for a career - high 1 , 130 yards and 7 touchdowns , including an 85 yard run . He also had 301 kick returns yards , including a 73 yard return . In his final season as a Mountaineer , 1975 , Owens rushed for 1 , 055 yards and 5 touchdowns , with a 6 . 6 yards per carry average . Owens had a career - low 213 kick return yards , but a career - high 125 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown . Owens rushed for a then - school record 2 , 648 yards ( now fourth on the career list ) , and set a record for career all - purpose rushing yardage with 3 , 971 yards ( now third on the career list ) . Owens 6 . 4 career average for yards per carry is one of the best averages in school history and his 13 career 100 - yard rushing games was a school record as well . After playing four seasons , Owens ' 95 - yard kick return for a touchdown as a junior was third - longest in school history . He received his degree at WVU in 2004 . Track . As a freshman , Owens tied a 41 - year - old WVU record for the 100 yard dash by clocking a 9 . 6 . He later bettered that mark with a 9 . 5 , a record he shares with fellow two - sport star Harry Blake . Owens and Blake also teamed to set Mountaineer records in the 440 - and 880 - yard relays , and three times won the prestigious Penn Relays . Pro career . San Diego Chargers . Artie Owens was selected in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers as a receiver rather than a running back . Owens played with the Chargers for four seasons . He started his pro career out in 1976 , playing in 14 games . Although seeing some playing time , Owens only recorded 54 yards on three catches , along with one touchdowns . In 1977 , Owens saw no time at receiver , but did have one rush for three yards . After San Diego . Following his season in 1979 , Owens was picked up by the Buffalo Bills . He saw no action in 1980 with the Bills , and four games into the season he was traded to the New Orleans Saints . Owens saw no action with the 1 - 15 Saints either , and eventually retired after only 3 games in New Orleans . USFL . Three years after retiring from the NFL , Owens returned to professional football in 1983 . He played for the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL for one season , before retiring from football for good . Personal life . Owens moved back to Stroudsburg , where he instructed an alternative school for the mentally handicapped . He also assumed coaching roles at Stroudsburg High School , leading the school ' s 1984 team to an undefeated season . Owens attempted construction work in 1986 , and after he finished it in 1987 , he returned to his mental health profession . He currently works preparing mentally handicapped adults for their future lives . Owens currently resides in Whitehall , Pennsylvania , with his wife , Patricia , and his two children . His son , Artie Owens II , played football at NCAA Division III Susquehana .