Golden Bachelor lead Mel Owens isn’t just making headlines for his turn on ABC’s hit senior dating spinoff. His family legacy is also pretty special — his late father, Walter “Walt” Owens, was a Hall of Fame athlete, educator, and one of the many men who carried forward the history of the Negro Leagues before dedicating his life to coaching and teaching.
The elder Owens passed away five years ago, almost to the day of the Golden Bachelor premiere — he died on September 20, 2020, at the age of 87. In the press release announcing Mel as the new Golden Bachelor, it mentioned how his father’s death was an unexpected blow.
“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,” reads the announcement.
According to his obituary on the Northern Illinois University website, Owens, affectionately known as “Coach O” in his time at NIU, played both as an outfielder and a pitcher for the Detroit Stars from 1953 to 1955, while attending Western Michigan University. During that time, he also competed in basketball and track, setting a Mid-American Conference relay record in 1955. In semi-pro leagues, his batting average was recorded at an impressive .379.
When Major League Baseball honored Negro Leagues players in a special 2008 draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Owens as their first-round pick, cementing his place in baseball history.
Owens went on to spend nearly two decades in the Detroit Public Schools system, where he coached basketball, baseball, cross country, and track, influencing countless young athletes. Among those he mentored were stars like Willie Horton (Detroit Tigers), Alex Johnson (California Angels batting champion), and even future entertainers such as Mary Wilson of The Supremes and Richard Street of The Temptations.
He later joined the faculty/staff at NIU in 1973, serving as both a professor and coach. Owens led the NIU baseball program from 1976–82, recording 133 wins and ranking among the school’s winningest coaches. His contributions to NIU athletics earned him induction into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Though the NIU baseball program was disbanded following the 1982 season, Owens stayed on as a faculty member until he retired in 2007. Upon his retirement, Owens was named an emeritus professor in NIU’s College of Education in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KNPE). Each year, the department awards the Walt Owens KNPE Student Award for Excellence to recognize achievements of “students from underrepresented populations who are enrolled in a program of study in KNPE.”
When he died, former NIU staff member Dr. Larry D. Bolles had this to say of Owens:
Walt “Coach O” Owens was a very good and well-loved man by thousands of students, faculty, staff, friends and professional colleagues. As my best friend and fraternity brother, he constantly challenged me and NIU students to make NIU the best university to be a part of. Coach O generously shared his knowledge, wealth and success with numerous students striving to become highly successful college-educated men and women. Students often depended on his help and kindness, those with troubles beyond his abilities to solve, he used me and others in his massive universe to help solve their problems when there was nowhere else to go. Both of us had one goal in life and it is to make a difference in life and the world a better place.
Beyond athletics, Owens left a deep mark as a civil rights advocate and educator. He was a founding member of the National Congress of Black Faculty and chaired NIU’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities, working to create more inclusive spaces for students and faculty of color.
His career of advocacy and mentorship earned him the E.B. Henderson Award in 2011 for leadership in fighting racial discrimination, as well as multiple Hall of Fame inductions, including the Negro Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2000.
When Walter died in 2020, the Detroit News reported that he was survived by his wife Janice and four children: Mel, Lamar, Kyle and Stacia.
Walter’s son, Mel Owens, carried forward the family’s athletic legacy when he was drafted in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Now, decades later, Mel is in the spotlight again as the second lead of The Golden Bachelor.
Though Mel is gaining national attention for his TV journey, his father’s story underscores just how deep the Owens family legacy runs — from breaking barriers in segregated baseball to shaping generations of athletes and students.
