Adding to the celebrity expectations, journalist David Brinkley, then of NBC News, attended his inauguration in Oct. 2, 1972.
The 1973 NFL draft included team members John Matuszak, Paul Orndorff and Wilbur Grooms.
Reports at the time said Owens had to carry a weapon because of threats on his life following the program's termination.
The Mary Linn Theatre opened on the west side of the campus (with the music relocated from the Administration Building).
The school's Wells Library was renovated to for academic offices and radio station KXCV that had been housed in the Administration Building.
After serving as a consultant to the Belize-based school, in 2001 he became interim president and Chief Financial Officer.