R.C. Owens dies at 78

[Auggie]

The man whom many former and recent 49ers referred to as "Oop," R.C. Owens, died at the age of 78 on Sunday. The wide receiver was the first 49ers player to reach 1,000 yards in a season but was better known for creating the "Alley Oop" play in the 1950s - a play now widely associated with basketball.

SNIP

An eight-year NFL veteran, Mr. Owens spent five seasons (1957-61) with the 49ers and then played for the Baltimore Colts (1962-63) and New York Giants (1964).

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/18/SPOV1P4074.DTL

A seemingly short career. But quite the lasting legacy.

[bluedigger]

1. RIP

I wasn't familiar with his career. I liked how Y.A. Tittle gave him all the credit for the "alley-oop".

[Auggie]

2. Trying to find a clip of one of his catches to post -- no luck.

I was a young 'un during his playing days, so the same applies to me -- football was off my radar.

But imagine the excitement seeing a play like the Alley Oop for the first few times.

[bluedigger]

3. I bet there was a lot of fan gloating, lol.

"They can't stop us!"

[Jack Rabbit]

4. I got his last autograph as a 49er

I grew up in Stockton, where my dad was a portrait photographer with a studio on Pacific Avenue. The businesses on Pacific held a spring festival to promote themselves every year. In the spring of '62, they invited several television and sports celebrities to attract a crowd. I was ten years old and got an autographed portrait of Captain Delta, an afternoon kiddie show host, and the autographs of Felipe Alou and Juan Marichal of the Giants on a baseball. As the festivities were ending, I went to get the autograph of R. C. Owens. I need a piece of paper for his autograph since it wouldn't have been right to ask a football player to autograph a baseball. I asked my mother and she gave me a blank deposit slip out of her checkbook, the most appropriate thing she had. I took my place at the end of the line and proudly proudly presented the deposit slip to Owens. Owens looked at both sides of the slip and signed it "R. C. Owens, 49ers" and laughed about having to watch where he signed that piece of paper.

The next day, the 49ers announced the deal that sent Owens to the Baltimore Colts. I got his last autograph as a member of the 49ers. I lost the portrait of Captain Delta and the deposit slip sometime over the years, but I still have the baseball with the autographs of Juan Marichal and Felipe Alou.

[bluedigger]

5. It sounds like he was a real class act.

That was quite a day for a ten year old!