Gerald Owens Feature: Battling Through

Being a Spartan has not been the easiest journey for senior defensive tackle Gerald Owens, but it's the battle that has made his journey so memorable and rewarding.

The Thorofare, New Jersey, native chose to continue his football career at Michigan State after a successful high school career at West Deptford High School, in which he set the all-time record with 69 total touchdowns.

"It was a little difficult being that I'm so far away from home. I grew up a Momma's boy so being away from my mom was a little hard," Owens said. "I talked to my older brother, he played football at the University of New Hampshire, and he said you've got to do what's best for you. You're not necessarily looking at a school; you're looking at a place to live for four to five years."

The decision to leave his family and the East Coast wasn't an easy decision, but was one that would come to change Owens' life for the better.

"When I took my visit here, it was family oriented and I just felt welcome here, it made the decision a lot easier," Owens said. "When it came down to pick, I went with my gut and it seemed like Michigan State was the place to be for me."

Having the support of his family, particularly the support of his parents, James and Frances Owens, made the adjustment to being halfway across the country a little bit easier.

"I miss a lot of things since I've been here," Owens said. "It gets a little difficult at times because sometimes I do want to go see my family or my little nephews and everything but I can't. I just have to remember that I'm here for a reason, and I'm doing it so maybe one day I can put them in a better position."

Making the 664-mile journey to East Lansing from Thorofare in South Jersey, Owens learned a lot about himself and the person and player he was capable of becoming.

"I learned to never give up and never doubt yourself because anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it, you can get anything done," Owens said. "I've been faced with a lot of adversity here so I've learned that without my family, I'm a really strong person and that's thanks to the coaching staff, academic staff, strength and conditioning and medical staff. I learned that I can push myself a lot farther than what I thought I once could."

Over his five seasons at Michigan State, Owens' has been influenced by his both his family and football family, who have taught him to stay patient and remain focused on his goals.

"It was a hard, long process for me. I came in here as a young adult, still growing up in my mind and with the stuff I've been through here, they've helped mold me into the man I am today, along with my father, mother and older brothers and sisters," Owens reflects. "They've played a huge role in the person I am today. They've never given up on me and that's something that brings me back to family. My family will never give up on me, no matter what, and that's the same thing here. They never gave up on me and they always had faith that I would do the right thing."

Owens faced challenges early on in his football career, such as requiring multiple surgeries and switching his position from running back to defensive tackle. Instead of these challenges being roadblocks in his development, Owens embraced the lessons these experiences taught him.

"It was hard for me because it put me a lot farther behind than everybody else. At the same time it was the best thing for me; it was an opportunity for me to grow, get stronger as a football player and grow as a student here," Owens said. "It showed me that I can do anything as long as I tell myself I can. No matter who doubts me or anything, as long as I have myself, I know I'll be okay and I'll be fine."

His sophomore and junior seasons posed a change in roles for the two-year letterwinner, seeing action in six games as a sophomore to earn his first letter and 12 games as a junior, playing in over 200 snaps on the defensive line.

"Not playing as much and then last year starting to get a lot more significant snaps and this year, it was kind of nerve-racking at first, but then as the season went on last year, it was like 'I'm here for this and this is what I do,'" Owens said. "This is what I've played football my whole life for. It was my dream since I was four years old, so it was a dream come true."

Having gone through a lot of experiences and overcoming many challenges during his collegiate career, Owens tries to use those lessons to help other teammates who may be struggling with being away from home and the adjustment to college.

"If you ever need somebody, I can always be there for somebody. I love to cook and not a lot of people know that, but for the people who don't go home, if they want to come over I cook for Thanksgiving," said Owens, who says that his cooking speciality is steak and potatoes. "If I see someone struggling, I'm always willing to help, go give them a hand and see if they're all right, or if they need to talk. I always want to help a teammate, especially when they're new to this. I always want to be there for someone, like someone was there for me."

Despite being far from home, his parents are there for him at most games, wearing custom- made shirts with his name and number on them.

"Growing up, I was big into all the sports, especially wrestling, and we had a family friend that makes shirts, and he made them for my parents," Owens said.

Last season, Owens got to play in front of not just his parents, but also a large contingent of friends and family in his home state of New Jersey, when the Spartans took on Rutgers.

"It was really fun, and was a dream come true. A lot of people from my town came, a lot of friends I grew up with go to Rutgers, so there were a whole bunch of people that I knew, there to see me play," Owens said. "That was such a humbling experience for me, I just thought to myself 'Man, I've come a long way from when I was four-years-old playing with grass in the middle of a play, to playing in the Big Ten right now, right here, in front of all my friends and family, so that just meant a lot. The Penn State game this year was a lot like that, my high school coach and one of my football coaches from when I was just a little guy came to see me play. It makes me real happy that I have a support system that big and that strong, and that everybody back home wants to see me succeed."

Upon completion of his degree in sociology, Owens plans to return to school and get his master's in counseling in order to pursue his dream of becoming a guidance counselor. Owens wants to give back and be a support system for people like he had through his journey.

From the days of being a little kid dreaming of this opportunity to now being an influential player for the Spartans, Owens battled. Owens battled through injuries and surgeries, being away from home and now he continues to battle on the football field for his team.

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