U.S. House Education and Workforce Vice Chairman, ex-NFL player Burgess Ownes announces retirement from Congress
Owens was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah.
Burgess Owens originally made a name for himself as an athlete before becoming a high-profile politician. He is now preparing to exit the political stage.
Owens has announced that he will not run for re-election this year to the United States House of Representatives from the Salt Lake City-based 4th District of Utah. A Republican, Owens narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Ben McAdams in 2020 for the seat in question. He has been re-elected twice since then and in 2025 was named as the Vice Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Owens graduated from James S. Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida and was a member of the school’s football team. Owens continued to play at the University of Miami, becoming an All-American for the 1972 season.
The following year, Burgess Owens was selected in the first round of the National Football League Draft by the New York Jets. He was later a member of the Oakland Raiders team that won Super Bowl XV and made the move with the franchise to Los Angeles before retiring.