I performed within the NFL and received Tremendous Bowl – our locker room helped me put together for post-retirement profession

BURGESS Owens made the extraordinary journey from winning the Super Bowl to working as a chimney sweep before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

During a 10-year NFL career, Owens starred as a safety for the New York Jets before being part of the 1980 Oakland Raiders’ Super Bowl-winning team.

Burgess Owens (left) won a Super Bowl with the Oakland RaidersCredit: Getty
Owens has since been elected to the House of RepresentativesCredit: Getty
Owens says life in the NFL prepared him for politicsCredit: Getty

But Owens and his family lost everything in the decade after his NFL glory when his electronic business failed, and he was forced to declare bankruptcy.

The University of Miami graduate moved his family of six into a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and took a job as a chimney sweep during the day and a security guard at night.

“That was a very humbling moment,” Owens told the Salt Lake Tribune. 

“It was also a very key moment in my life that at the end of the long day, standing in the basement apartment, looking outside and just thinking that I knew this was not the way it was going to end because I believe in the American promise of second chances.”

Owens got back on his feet after taking a sales job with the Utah-based computer software company WordPerfect in Philadelphia.

Having converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints towards the end of his NFL career, Owens soon moved his family to Utah.

In 2020, the 68-year-old Owens became the Republican nominee in the 4th Congressional District of Utah and defeated Democratic incumbent Ben McAdams in November.

“As someone who came out of the NFL and lost everything and was a chimney sweep for a few months, a security guard at night…if I can do it, you can do it,” Owens said after his win.

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A staunch defender of Donald Trump, Owens campaigned on upholding conservative values, opposing abortion, protecting Second Amendment rights, and securing the borders.

A Fox News contributor, Owens has also opposed NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality.

In November 2022, Owens won re-election to a second term.

Owens says his time in the NFL prepared him for a career in politics.

“All of the time I played in the NFL, we didn’t make a lot of money then but boy did we understand teamwork and culture,” he told Sports Illustrated. 

“After seven years in the league, I got to the Raiders. It was a locker room similar to our country. A lot of people getting second chances.

“It was a motley crew. It taught me a lot about America, about people.”