Rick Owens, an assistant basketball coach at Monroe Central, passed away Saturday. He was 79.
“[Owens] was the first call I made after I was fortunate enough to get the job, hoping his answer was going to be yes when asking to hang around,” Monroe Central coach Brian Klein said.
“He was instrumental in my first year, you know, he knew everybody, the community, the people, players. Growing up, I watched coach Owens referee; that’s how I knew who Rick Owens was, going to high school basketball games, watching him refereeing this area, and I knew he was a great official.”
Ricky “Rex” Owens was born on Dec. 8, 1945, in Winchester. He attended Union (Modoc) High School where he was a star basketball player. He graduated in 1964 as Randolph County’s all-time career scoring leader with 1,464 points — a record that still stands as Union’s all-time scoring leader. He also played baseball and ran track and cross country.
Upon graduation, Owens earned a basketball scholarship from Ball State and played one season on the freshman team. He was set to transfer to William Penn University in Iowa but instead enlisted in the Navy, where he served for four years. During his time in the Navy, Owens continued playing basketball and added softball and volleyball to his repertoire.
After his time in the Navy, Owens served as an IHSAA official for 33 years. In 2019, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a Men’s Center Circle Officials Award winner. His officiating career included 28 sectionals, 19 regionals, seven semi-states and three state championships (1991, 1995, 1999). He also served as president and vice president of the Eastern Indiana Officials Association.
