RENO, Nev. - Former National Football League star Terrell Owens played in six Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl during his 16-year NFL career, and he tried his hand at another premier event as he made his United States Bowling Congress Open Championships debut at the National Bowling Stadium on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old right-hander made his first march down the tournament's famed Center Aisle and helped Bowlers Journal International of Chicago to games of 835, 850 and 880 for a 2,565 team total. Owens rolled games of 185, 129 and 161 for a 475 series.

The team included Professional Bowlers Association Commissioner Tom Clark, Mike Jakubowski and Jason Thomas, who are the on-air personalities for Xtra Frame, the PBA's online bowling channel and USBC Open Championships titlist Ed Baur.

Owens is the celebrity owner of the Dallas Strikers, one of eight five-player teams in the new PBA League, so he has spent a lot of time around bowling this year. When the opportunity arose for him to hit the lanes at the Open Championships, he was excited about the unique experience.

"The first game went pretty well," said Owens, who was drafted in the third round of the 1996 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. "I'm still new to this, so when I saw some of the guys switching balls, I felt I should switch, too. I probably should have stayed with the same ball. I ended up going back to the first ball I used and made some other minor adjustments with my feet and eyes."
 


Since becoming involved with the PBA League, Owens has been more committed to improving his game and has worked with several coaches and PBA bowlers. The five-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver has spent time with world-class coach Mark Baker and 37-time PBA Tour titlist Norm Duke, and he compares the effort required to succeed on the lanes to the dedication needed on the gridiron.

"It's all about repetition," said Owens, who caught nine passes for the Philadelphia Eagles in a loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. "You're only going to get out of it what you put in. I'm starting to get in a rhythm and starting to bowl a little more, so it'll come in time. I just tried to focus on some of the things I've been taught and dialed in on that."

Owens Open Championships debut was featured live on BowlTV as thousands of viewers tuned in to see the football star turned bowler. There also was a crowd gathered around to watch him perform in person. He was excited to make his tournament debut and compete against the top bowlers in the country.

"I have a lot of stuff going on right now, but there happened to be a break in my schedule," Owens said. "I wanted to experience this tournament, and the experience was good. I'm really into bowling, and I like it a lot."

Thomas led Bowlers Journal International with a 542 series and was followed by Jakubowski (534), Clark (524) and Baur (490).

Owens returned to the National Bowling Stadium on Thursday and added 530 in singles and 503 in doubles for a 1,508 all-events total.

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.