R.C. Owens, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1957 to 1961, has passed away at the age of 78. Owens was a 14th round draft pick out of Idaho in 1956 and had his best years with the Niners, especially in 1961 when he caught 55 passes for 1,032 yards and five touchdowns.
↵He is best known for pairing with quarterback Y.A. Tittle to create the "alley-oop" pass into the endzone before the alley-oop existed in basketball. It was a simple play, Owens would run into the endzone, jump as high as he could and Tittle would throw the ball into his hands.
↵Jerry Rice compared Calvin Johnson to Owens in the way that Johnson uses his height to his advantage in the endzone.
↵After retiring from the NFL in 1964, Owens came back and worked with the 49ers in a variety of capacities from 1979 to 2001, including director of training camp. He is survived by his wife, Susan.
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