He’s a successful athlete in his own right, but Bachelor Nation fans may be surprised to learn that Mel Owens‘ father has an even more prolific sports career than the Season 2 Golden Bachelor.
Mel Owens, a 66-year-old lawyer and a retired NFL linebacker from Laguna Hills, California, was announced as the Season 2 Golden Bachelor on April 2025. Before his reality TV career, Mel played as a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, where he signed a contract with worth $175,000 per season 1981. The Rams selected Mel after he was picked ninth overall in the 1981 NFL Draft. He played with the Rams until his retirement in 1989. Before the Rams, Mel played college football at the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1980.
Related: All the Golden Bachelor spoilers about Mel’s season
While his sports career is impressive, Mel’s father’s legacy stands the test of time. Meet the Season 2 Golden Bachelor’s dad ahead and see why his father made history.
Mel’s father is Walter Owens, a pitcher and outfielder who played for the Detroit Stars of Negro League Baseball from 1953 to 1955. He was born on August 19, 1933, in Cleveland, Ohio, however, he grew up in Detroit. He attended Western Michigan University, where he received a scholarship from and played basketball and track and field for.
Walter played for the Detroit Stars in the summer months in between college. Because he was a student at the time, Walter was forced to use an alias to keep his college amateur eligibility while still playing on the Detroit Stars. One of his most notable moments as a professional baseball player came when he hit a single and struck out in two at-bats while playing against legendary baseball player Satchell Paige, who played both in the Negro League Baseball and the Major League Baseball.
After graduating from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree, Walter received an offer to play for the Indianapolis Clowns, a team in the Negro American League, though he turned down the offer to become a teacher. Later, Owens also became a baseball coach at Northwestern High School in Detroit, where he served as a member for future MLB All-Stars like Willie Horton and Alex Johnson. He also played amateur softball until 2007 when a stroke sidelined him at the age of 76.
Along with baseball, Owens also coached basketball. He also coached at Northern Illinois University before his retirement in 2007. His other sports accomplishments include playing against the Canadian Olympic basketball team and the Harlem Globetrotters and being a founding member of the National Congress of Black Faculty. He also took part in the Major League Baseball’s special draft of the surviving Negro League players in 2008 in tribute of those who were kept out of the major league due to their race. Owens was selected by the Chicago Cubs as part of the honorary draft.
Owens died on September 20, 2020. He was 87 years old. At the time of his death, Walter was married to a woman named Janice Owens. The press release for The Golden Bachelor Season 2 explained why 2020, which was also the year Mel filed for divorce from his ex-wife Fabiana Pimentel Owens, was such a pivotal time for him.
“While life took an unexpected turn with the passing of his father and the end of his marriage, Owens channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams,” the press release read. “Now, after several years as a devoted dad, Owens is ready to rediscover a love rooted in the simple joys of companionship – sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future, and growing stronger together as a couple.”
Since his death, Walter has been honored by many sports communities he worked with over the years.
“Coach O has done so much for NIU, and personally, for me and my family as a friend and mentor,” said Northern Illinois University Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier said in an obituary. “Our hearts go out to [his wife] Janice and his entire family. This loss is personal not just for me, but for thousands of students who he coached, taught and encountered during an amazing career as an educator, and for the faculty, staff and coaches who he met, and offered an encouraging word and supported. He lived an amazing life, from his days as an athlete, playing in the Negro Leagues, to dedicating himself to young people and education – as a coach and as a faculty member.”
“I am greatly saddened by the loss of Coach Owens,” added NIU baseball head coach Mike Kunigonis. “He is one of the leading faces on the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Huskieball. His contributions to our program, the NIU Community, DeKalb and the game of baseball have been felt and will continue to be felt for years to come. Coach O and Janice embraced me and my family the very first day we arrived here in DeKalb almost six years ago. I can never repay the kindness they have shown us over the years, I can only hope Coach knew and Janice knows how much they have meant to our program and to me personally. I will miss Coach dearly.”
