HALL OF FAME HORNET MARVIN OWENS PASSES

Fullerton High and Fullerton College Hall of Famer Marvin Duane Owens passed away on July 12th just weeks after his big brother Brig.

"Both Brig and Marvin were huge favorites of the Fullerton College Community and loved by the City of Fullerton", said Marv's loving wife Romell Foster-Owens.

A three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at Fullerton Union High School, Owens was turning heads with his athletic prowess and leadership skills. Born in the city of Orange and raised in Fullerton, Marvin was the sixth member of the celebrated Owens family to play sports at Fullerton College. In the 1968 and 1969 seasons, Owens starred on legendary Coach Hal Sherbeck's football squad playing quarterback under the tutelage of another great coach in Marv Sampson. Hornet fans quickly gave Marvin the nickname "Marvelous" during his freshman season. The team finished with an 8-1 record ranking 9th in the nation. For his efforts, Owens was given the Most Outstanding Freshman" award by the FC coaching staff.

The 1969 Hornets featured Marvin as their star QB- "He's the best quarterback there is", claimed Sherbeck. Owens did not disappoint as he opened the season against Cypress College with 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing TD, kicked in all 5 points-after for a 53-0 victory. In the final regular game of the season against San Diego Mesa, "Marvelous Marv" scored all five touchdowns in the game. Heading into the playoffs, Owens had 52% completion average with a total of 1,351 yards with 18 touchdowns. He did all of this while missing three games during the regular season. Marvin had earned "Player of the Year" honors by the South Coast Conference, was a 1st Team All-American, and was the team MVP. The Hornets wrapped up the season with a 10-2 record, was the state runner-up, and ranked 6th in the nation.

Marvin was also an excellent baseball player on the Fullerton College baseball team playing under Hall of Fame Coach Mike Sgobba. Batting .371 for the 1969 Hornets, Owens also had 3 home runs, 19 runs, and 25 RBI. He is still in the record book for having one of the longest hitting streaks of 18 consecutive games with a hit from 3-25-1969 to 5-10-1969. Marvin was tabbed as the team MVP and earned 2nd Team All- Conference. He also played on a college All-Star team for USC legendary coach Rod Dedeaux.
In recognition of Marvin's football and baseball achievements, he was given the Art Nunn Award, which is given to the most inspirational and high-character student-athlete at Fullerton College.

Many four-year colleges were after the star-athlete, and San Diego State had won Marvin over playing for the Aztecs for two seasons.
The professional teams from the NFL and the MLB came calling for Owens. In 1970, the Oakland A's drafted Marvin and was drafted by the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 1972. Marvin went on to play a few years with the New York Jets and St. Louis Cardinals before hanging up his cleats.

Marvin was inducted into the Fullerton College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 and was also inducted into Fullerton High's Hall of Fame in 2016.

Owens made an impact on the community working locally for 30 years in home lending management, coached football at Fullerton Union High, and worked with the Leon Owens Foundation.
Marvin leaves behind his wife of 47 years Romell Foster-Owens along with his daughter Natasha and son Brigman (named after his uncle Brig Owens).

A joint celebration of life for Marvin and his brother Brig will be on Sunday, September 25th at 2:00 pm at the Fullerton High School football stadium. A reception immediately afterwards will be held in the gym. Please click here for more details.

Brig (left) and Marv (right) catching up at FJC. 

ONCE A HORNET, ALWAYS A HORNET