UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
Still the leading Runnin' Rebel scorer in history, Eddie Owens was the emerging program's second All-American in men's basketball when he was tabbed First Team by a pair of outlets as a junior in 1976. The native of Houston, Texas, was a member of coach Jerry Tarkanian's first UNLV squad and averaged 10.1 points per game as a freshman. The following season he pushed that to 18.4 per game and then to 23.4 in his third year, which still ranks fifth in UNLV single-season history. He paced the team in scoring for three consecutive campaigns (one of only two Runnin' Rebels to do so in the last 35 years) as he averaged 21.8. That magical senior season saw Owens star as part of the so-called "Hardway Eight" team that gained fame by setting NCAA records for most points in a season (3,246), most 100-point games (23) and most consecutive 100-point games (12). The high-flying upstarts from the desert also earned the school its first spot in a Final Four by winning the West Regional and falling by just one point in the national semifinals to North Carolina at Atlanta. In his final collegiate game, Owens scored 34 points to lead UNLV to a 106-94 victory over UNC Charlotte in the now-defunct consolation game to make the Runnin' Rebels a stunning 102-16 during his four years on the court. Selected in the second round of the NBA Draft (31st overall), he played one season in the league for Buffalo. Owens still ranks first in UNLV history in field goals made with 913 and total points with 2,221. His career average ranks fifth while his 395 free throws ranks ninth at the school.
