COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OWENS TO QUIT FOOTBALL FORMER HART STAR TO LEAVE UCLA, FOCUS ON BASEBALL.Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer Former Hart High receiver Jerry Owens Jerry Lee Owens (born on February 16, 1981 in Hollywood, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder currently with the Chicago White Sox. He played most of the 2006 season with the AAA Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox affiliation) of the International League, but was , whose UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX career has been hampered by a series of nagging injuries, quit the team Tuesday and is giving up the sport to play baseball. ``I was just real frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: ,'' said Owens, a redshirt sophomore whose bid to move into the five-receiver rotation this fall has been hampered by an ankle injury. ``It's the fourth time I've been hurt,'' he added. ``I feel like I'd work my way up the depth chart, get hurt and fall back down to the bottom. I really believe in the fact that things happen for a reason. I felt that God was speaking to me and saying it was time to move on.'' Owens, a left-handed pitcher, said he isn't sure where he'll transfer to play baseball for the first time since his sophomore season at Hart. Although he added The Master's College History The Master's College was founded as Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary on May 25, 1927 to meet the need for a fundamental Baptist school on the West Coast. is a possibility. ``I'll have to re-prove myself in baseball,'' he said. Three years ago, Owens was considered among the top dozen receivers in the country. Teaming with Kyle Boller Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17 1981 in Burbank, California) is an American football quarterback who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of California. , now the quarterback at Cal, Owens caught 63 passes for 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns before breaking his leg in the regular-season finale. He was a first-team Daily News selection that season. The broken leg healed, but the injuries didn't stop. After redshirting his freshman season, Owens pulled a hamstring in spring practice. Then last fall he pulled the other hamstring. He caught one pass last season but contributed on special teams. Then he missed much of last spring practice with a pulled quadriceps quadriceps /quad·ri·ceps/ (kwod´ri-seps) having four heads. quad·ri·ceps n. The large four-part extensor muscle at the front of the thigh. adj. and then the ankle injury hit. ``He's got a lot of physical ability,'' UCLA coach Bob Toledo Bob Toledo (born March 4, 1946, in San Jose, California) is an American football coach, recently hired as head coach at Tulane University. He is best-known as the thirteenth head coach at UCLA. said. ``But he was hurt every fall camp.'' Said Owens: ``Of course, I didn't want to let the home fans down, but I feel like this decision is about myself. The one thing I didn't want to do was make a quick decision. I talked to my family and I prayed. This is something I need to do right now in my life.'' |
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