Born in Alexander City, Alabama

December 7, 1973

Terrell Owens was born to Marilyn Heard and L.C. Russell in Alexander City, Alabama. He grew up with three other siblings and was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother.

Benjamin Russell High School

September 1, 1988 - June 1, 1992

Owens broke many of the Alabama state high school records. His favorite player was Jerry Rice. However, Owens’ grandmother initially forbade him from playing sports until high school. Owens attended Benjamin Russell High School, where he excelled in football, track, baseball and basketball.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

September 1, 1992 - January 1, 1996

While enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Owens played basketball and ran track. Owens also had the opportunity to play at the 1995 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Outside of basketball, Owens also played football. While playing in college, Owens wore the #80 jersey to honor his idol, Jerry Rice. He was not a distinguished athlete at first, but managed to make a breakthrough after becoming a starter during his sophomore year. Owens caught 38 passes for 724 yards and eight touchdowns during his sophomore year, and 32 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns during his junior year. Owens faced double coverage every week during his senior year, and was limited to 43 receptions for 666 yards and one touchdown.

Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers

May 1, 1996

While enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Owens played basketball and ran track. Owens also had the opportunity to play at the 1995 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Outside of basketball, Owens also played football. While playing in college, Owens wore the #80 jersey to honor his idol, Jerry Rice. He was not a distinguished athlete at first, but managed to make a breakthrough after becoming a starter during his sophomore year. Owens caught 38 passes for 724 yards and eight touchdowns during his sophomore year, and 32 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns during his junior year. Owens faced double coverage every week during his senior year, and was limited to 43 receptions for 666 yards and one touchdown.

The "Dirty Bird" Against the Atlanta Falcons

January 9, 1999

While playing the Atlanta Falcons on January 9, 1999, Owens caught a long touchdown pass and proceeded to mimic the "dirty bird", the Falcons’ signature touchdown dance. However, Owens performed a slashing of the throat gesture at the end of the dance, which quickly silenced the crowd.

Celebration on the Dallas Star

September 24, 2000

In Dallas, Terrell Owens showed off his excitement after his two touchdown catches by running from the endzone to midfield and celebrating on the Dallas Cowboys' famous star logo. The second time Owens made a trip to the star, then Cowboys safety George Teague hit him during the celebration, sending him sprawling to the turf. Teague would be ejected for his actions, while Owens was suspended for a week by his head coach and was fined $24,000 which was equal to a week's pay.

Most Receptions in a Single Game

December 17, 2000

Owens had a record-breaking day with 20 catches for 283 yards versus the Chicago Bears. This single-game reception total surpassed the 50-year-old mark held by Tom Fears.

Feuds with QB and Coach

September 1, 2001 - January 15, 2002

The 2001 49ers managed to capture a 12-4 record but were defeated by the Green Bay Packers during a wild-card game. The team's success was hampered by Owens' feuds with Garcia and 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci.

Sharpie Pen Incident

October 14, 2002

During a Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown, and then gave the ball to his financial adviser, who was in the stands.

Cheerleader/Pom Pom Celebration

December 15, 2002

In a home game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens scored a touchdown and ran to a row of cheerleaders beyond the endzone. He reached out and asked to borrow two pompoms from a 49ers cheerleader, which he then playfully shook, doing his own brief spontaneous routine before dropping them to the ground.

Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles

March 16, 2004

Although Owens was eager to leave the 49ers, the 49ers asserted that Owens' previous agent, David Joseph, had missed the deadline to void the final years of his contract with the 49ers. Owens and Joseph disputed this assertion, contending that the deadline referred to by the 49ers was not the applicable deadline. On March 4, 2004, San Francisco, believing it still held Owens' rights, attempted to trade Owens to the Baltimore Ravens for a second round pick in the 2004 draft. However, Owens challenged the 49ers' right to make the deal. Owens assumed that he would become a free agent on March 3, and did not believe that the earlier deadline was applicable. So he negotiated with other teams in advance of his expected free agency, and reached a contract agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles, whose fan base strongly supported Owens in his desire to play for the team. The NFL Players Union filed a grievance on his behalf.

Before an arbitrator could make a ruling on Owens' grievance, the NFL and the three teams involved in the controversy reached a settlement on March 16, 2004. The Ravens got their second-round pick back from the Niners, and the Niners in turn received a conditional fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting from the Eagles in exchange for the rights to Owens. Owens' contract with the Eagles was reported to be worth $49 million for seven years, including a $10 million signing bonus.

Broken Fibula

December 19, 2004

Owens sustained a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula when Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams committed a horse-collar tackle against him, before the technique was made illegal. Owens' injury was one of the major reasons that the horse-collar tackle was prohibited.

Super Bowl XXXIX

January 30, 2005

With the Eagles heading to Super Bowl XXXIX, Owens shocked the media by announcing he would play no matter what, even though team doctors stated that his injury would take several more weeks to heal. Owens' trainer, James "Buddy" Primm helped bring Owens back much sooner with the use of Micro Current and a Hyperbarric Chamber. Skeptics were silenced when Owens started the game and played well; the result was 9 receptions and 122 yards, though the Eagles still lost to the New England Patriots. After the game, Owens criticized the media by saying that a player like Brett Favre would have been praised for such bravery.

Contract Feud with Eagles

March 14, 2006

On April 2005, Owens announced that he had hired a new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and indicated that he would seek to have his contract with the Eagles renegotiated. Owens made $9 million in 2004 (most of which being bonus money as his base salary was only $660,000),[4] and was slated to make $3.5 million in 2005. This two year amount did not place Owens in the top 10 paid wide receivers playing. He also caused considerable controversy with a comment to the effect that he "wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl", the remark, thought by most, to be directed at Donovan McNabb, caused a controversy between them to heat up. Owens has always claimed the remark was not directed towards McNabb, but in regard to his obsessive diet and workout programs. On July 1, Owens' relationship with the Eagles became even more tense after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and club president Joe Banner denied Owens permission to play basketball in a summer league under the auspices of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.

On March 14, 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles released Owens.

Sign with the Dallas Cowboys

March 18, 2006

Four days later, on March 18, 2006, Jerry Jones announced that the Dallas Cowboys had signed Terrell Owens to a 3 year, $25 million deal, including a $5 million signing bonus, with a $5 million first year salary.

Overdose

September 27, 2006

Some media outlets in Dallas reported on the morning of September 27, 2006 that Owens had tried to kill himself by intentionally ingesting an overdose of hydrocodone, a pain medication. A police report filed on the night of September 26 seemed to confirm the attempt, saying that Owens' publicist, Kim Etheridge, found him unresponsive with an empty bottle of pain killers, pried two pills from his mouth, and called 9-1-1, after which an ambulance transported him four blocks from his Deep Ellum condo to the hospital.

According to the police report, Owens and Etheridge both said he was depressed, and Owens answered "yes" when asked whether he had intended to harm himself. Owens' publicist, however, refuted the report, stating that Owens had suffered an allergic reaction to the medication combined with a dietary supplement. ESPN reported that about half the police report was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose."

Owens left the hospital later on September 27. At a news conference after his release, Owens denied having made a suicide attempt, stating that he expected to join the team for practice the next morning. He stated that he was "not depressed" and was "very happy to be here", and denied that doctors had pumped his stomach, calling speculation to that effect "definitely untrue." The press conference took place after Owens had run routes and caught passes with the Cowboys at the team's practice facility in Valley Ranch.

Nap Celebration

November 5, 2006

Owens pretended to take a nap, using the football as a pillow. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration". Days before the game, Owens was reported to have a habit of falling asleep during team meetings.

DeAngelo Hall Spit

December 16, 2006

Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall claimed that Owens spat in his face after a play early in the game. Game officials and reporters were unaware of the incident and Owens was not asked about it until his post-game interview with the NFL Network, when he confirmed it. Owens said, "I got frustrated and I apologize for that. It was a situation where he kept hugging me and getting in my face. He had a lot of words, I didn't. I just wanted to come and prove I’m not a guy to be schemed with." Hall says that he has lost all respect for Owens.

Contract Extension

June 2, 2008

The Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms with wide receiver Terrell Owens on a four-year contract. The contract is reportedly worth 34 million dollars for Owens, who will turn 35 in December 2008 and is entering his third season with the Cowboys. Owens will receive $12.9 million to sign and $100,000 of his $830,000 2008 base salary is guaranteed, which equals to over $13 million guaranteed.