Hawaii alum Chad Owens inducted into Canadian Football League Hall of Fame

One of the greatest receivers and return men in University of Hawaii history was formally accorded the same respect by the Canadian Football League on Friday.

Honolulu native Chad Owens, a two-time Grey Cup champion and 2012 league MVP, was one of seven players inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario.

Owens was accompanied on stage by his wife and three children. With his son, current UH receiver Chad Owens Jr., he unveiled a bust of his head.

“To the CFL, thank you for giving this undersized, little pineapple kid from Hawaii an opportunity to live out his childhood dream,” said Owens, 42, who is the third UH alum to enter the CFL HOF, after offensive lineman Jim Mills (2009) and linebacker Solomon Elimimian (2023). “All I wanted to do was play pro football, be a pro athlete, and you guys gave me that opportunity.”

The Roosevelt High alum then thanked, among others, the CFL Hall of Fame selection committee, his teammates and coaches at every level of football going back to his Pop Warner days, his family, and the CFL fans for their passion. He congratulated his fellow inductees, especially receiver counterparts SJ Green and Weston Dressler.

He thanked God for blessing him with courage, desire and work ethic – “the ability to prepare and do things others just weren’t willing to do.”

Though undersized at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, “Mighty Mouse” electrified Canadian crowds with the same shiftiness and fearlessness that allowed him to become an All-America punt returner at UH in 2004.

UH football coach Timmy Chang, Owens’ old teammate with the Rainbow Warriors, offered up kudos to one of his favorite targets.

He became known as the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” as a pro.

After three rocky years with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Owens tried his luck in the Arena Football League for a season before heading north.

His career took off once the Montreal Alouettes, with whom he won a Grey Cup as a practice teamer in 2009, traded him to the Toronto Argonauts heading into the 2010 season.

His peak came in 2012, when he helped the Argonauts capture the 100^th Grey Cup while setting the league record for combined yards in a season – 3,863.

“The most memorable moment of my Canadian Football League career was winning that 100^th Grey Cup in Toronto,” Owens said. “Yeah, the accolades I personally received that year was great, but none greater than winning that team goal. Something that will never, ever be taken away.”

According to the CFL Hall of Fame, he is the first player to exceed 3,000 total yards in three straight seasons.

He remained with the Argonauts through 2015 and played a season apiece with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders before calling it a CFL career of nine years.

Owens was a four-time CFL All-Star and two-time CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. He remains a top-10 player in CFL all-time kick return yards (10,309) and combined yards (16,698).

He was named a CFL HOF inductee in May.

“I want to thank you all for this incredible honor,” Owens said in closing. “A kid from Hawaii, the farthest person from this place. You guys gave me a chance, you guys believe in me. So I’m forever grateful for the Canadian Football League. I do love the Canadian people as well, and this is our home away from home. Thank you. Aloha.”

The other inductees were Marvin Coleman, Dressler, Vince Goldsmith, Green, Ray Jauch and Ed Laverty.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.