The professional ranks beckoned, however, and Owen signed a contract to play with the Kansas City Cowboys of the National Football League.

After 1926 the Kansas City franchise folded and Owen followed team manager LeRoy Andrews to the newly relaunched Cleveland Bulldogs for the 1927 season.

[4] After one year in Cleveland, Owen would join the Detroit Wolverines for 1928,[3] continuing to play barnstorming games for a percentage of the gate as a member of an NFL All-Star team following the conclusion of the season schedule.

This time he became a member of the New York Giants — an NFL franchise entering its fifth season — giving him an opportunity to play on the line with his older brother.

[3] On December 9, the 1934 Giants, winners in the Eastern Conference with a record of 8–5, faced off at the end of the season to play the undefeated champions of the West, the Chicago Bears.

Early in 1941, the Giants moved their training camp to Superior, Wisconsin, and hired Bill Owen and his former teammate Mike Palm as assistant coaches.