High school coach: ‘I never encountered the other side’ of Terrell Owens
Soon after Terrell Owens was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1996, he returned to Benjamin Russell High School.
In one sense, it was like he never left.
“I was an old-fashioned coach and I didn’t let kids wear earrings, bandanas or facial hair,” said Owens’ high school coach, Steve Savarese. “I told them every day was like an interview. I wanted to teach them more than the game. So when he came back from signing with the 49ers, he had two of the best-looking diamond studs in his ear. I would love to afford those for my wife. But when he walks into the weight room, the first thing he does — and he never said a word — was take the left one out, then the right one out.
“What I’ve learned about kids and adults is, if you love them and treat them with respect, they’ll treat you the same way.”
Savarese developed a close bond with Owens in high school and even let him borrow his car, a Ford Bronco II, for prom.
“I said, ‘If you wash it and clean it, I’ll let you take it,’” Savarese said. “There were no free lunches. And you know what his first car was? A Bronco II. He got the deluxe version. He couldn’t wait to show me.
“That’s the Terrell Owens I know. His heart was as big as gold. Charismatic, loving, intelligent. I know he’s got another side, but I never encountered the other side.”
Emotional goodbye
Although Steve Mariucci had a bumpy relationship during his sixyear tenure as Owens’ head coach in San Francisco, the two ended things on good terms.
“The day after I was fired, I was cleaning out my office and there were boxes everywhere and I was getting stuff off my walls,” Mariucci said.
“And here comes T.O. in my office. He walked in by myself and as I was getting ready to pack up and go, he says, ‘I just want to tell you that I appreciate everything’ and he gave me a hug. I thought that was pretty cool. It was important to me at the time because I was discouraged about being let go. That goes a long way with me.”
This and that — When he retired after the 2010 season, Owens was second in the NFL’s record book for receptions in a game (20 against the Bears on Dec. 17, 2000), second in career receiving yards (15,934), tied for second in most career TDs (153), tied for second for most TD catches in a game (four against the Redskins in 2007) and tied for second for longest reception (98 yards against the Jaguars in 2009). Randy Moss now ranks second in career TDs (156), while Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (15,545 yards) could pass Owens this season on the receiving yardage list. — Owens is one of 27 wide receivers inducted into the Hall of Fame during the modern era. — Owens is one of five players from the 1996 NFL Draft class to make the Hall of Fame, joining Jonathan Ogden, Marvin Harrison, Ray Lewis and Brian Dawkins. Kicker Adam Vinatieri, who went undrafted that season, will likely end up in Canton as well.