DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708280712

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  121 lines

REDSKINS' OWENS MAY BECOME A MASTERPIECE WASHINGTON DEFENSIVE END GROWING INTO THE ROLE OF DOMINANT PLAYER

It hangs in the office of Patti Ota, vice-provost and dean of the Lehigh University business college in Bethlehem, Pa. She calls it Serenity. Softly and fondly, she describes the painting - its desert setting, the tranquil mix of browns and tans, the mountains in the background and the village whose unseen inhabitants are bathed in dark, earthy splendor.

One reason Ota likes Serenity so much is that it reminds her of its creator and the student from whom she bought it - Washington Redskins defensive end Rich Owens.

``He always made you feel good,'' Ota said. ``He was always so personable, always smiling. He always made you feel like he appreciated anything you did for him.''

There is art in virtually everything about the 25-year-old Owens. His ever-present, effervescent smile is the porch light to laughter. The easy, graceful way he bends to greet kids, especially those with problems, radiates the art of compassion. The building of his body, from a 245-pound rookie to a 285-pound strongman, is a classic example of the NFL's art of survival.

And his overwhelming popularity with his teammates - some gleefully call him Richie Redskin - is a reflection of the art Owens practices best.

Honesty.

``I can see myself doing extremely well in this league, but I don't see myself having `status,' '' he said recently. ``I don't see anyone lining up to buy a No. 96 football jersey at Foot Locker. I don't mind that. I don't need the status. I don't need the hoopla. This is the person I am, and I don't intend to change.

``Someday, I'll teach art, though I'm not sure to what age group. Marriage and kids are optional, by which I mean I don't see myself finding my woman until after I'm done playing. And I'll enjoy life. The NFL could be a great springboard to my art. If not, well, I paint for myself anyway.''

Serenity is the only painting Owens has sold. No offense to his friend and former teacher, but he wishes now he had kept it. He says it's part of who he is, who he's becoming. It's a stretch, but Owens wouldn't sell the film of his 14 quarterback sacks in Washington for the same reason. They're part of who he is and what he's becoming.

Or at least what the Redskins hope he's becoming. His 11 sacks last season were the most by a Redskin since Charles Mann's 11 in 1991. Limited by an injury to just nine games as a rookie, Owens started all 16 games a year ago and finished with 73 tackles, eighth on the team.

``Rich is going to continue to improve,'' coach Norv Turner said. ``Will he have 11 sacks again this season? I don't know. But he's right where you want your second- and third-year players to be, on the verge.''

With tackle Sean Gilbert still holding out, and tackle Marc Boutte saddled with a bad knee, Owens may be Washington's best defensive lineman. And he's a work in progress.

``I know there are things I have to do better,'' Owens said. ``I'm between 70 and 80 percent of what I can be.''

That percentage is expected to increase this season. But Owens hasn't practiced much since training camp because of a pinched nerve in his neck. Though not 100 percent, he returned to the field Wednesday and is expected to play in Washington's season-opener Sunday against Carolina. With every collision, Owens may recall when then-line coach Bob Karmelowicz arrived at Lehigh two days before the 1993 draft to conduct a workout.

``When we were done, Karm told me that I had to decide if I wanted this life, because pro football was a violent, violent game,'' Owens said. ``He told me I'd have a couple of knee surgeries, something on my shoulder - if I was good enough. I was like, `Yeah, whatever.' How serious about me could they be? It was two days before the draft.''

At Lehigh, he'd played in eight games as a senior, by far his most in four years. But the sports agency with which he signed worked so diligently at selling the NFL on the concept of a 6-foot-6, 245-pounder with plenty of room to grow that Owens worked out for 17 teams.

``Everybody else viewed it as a longshot, but I always knew my brother had the talent to play in the NFL,'' Terry Owens, 21, said. ``I saw him in college, saw how big he was, saw that he could run, and I knew speed was the name of the game.''

Terry Owens is a senior at Kutztown State in Pennsylvania, a 5-foot-10 all-conference cornerback who may make All-American. He's the last in a series of athletes produced by Willie and Annie. The oldest Owens son, Willie, played in the Canadian Football League with Winnipeg. Older sister Rose Marie ran track at Lincoln.

``I'm truly happy for him. When the Redskins drafted him in the fifth round, I cried,'' Terry said. ``Coach Karm called and I was yelling, `That's my brother! That's my brother!' It's my dream, too, but if it doesn't come true, at least it happened for somebody I care about.''

Terry Owens is a writer and poet. Last year, he wrote an essay on what it meant to him to have a brother in pro football. It turned into much more than that, into an examination of their relationship and an examination of how the NFL had changed Rich.

``When he was in college, he was a little introverted, kind of a loner,'' Terry said. ``Now, he's talking to people, having a good time.

``My older brother and I were talking about this the other day; on the field, Richie's got that little attitude now. He needed to get that attitude, because that's the only thing missing. I always talk junk on the field, even before the game. I'm full of attitude - maybe not full enough of talent - but now he's out there, getting sacks, waving his fists, telling people what he's going to do to them.''

Yet, there lingers a trace of doubt about last season. Was it real? Gilbert, a Pro Bowl-caliber player, had just three sacks but 19 quarterback hurries. Owens lined up next to him and, in general, received one-on-one blocking while Gilbert took the double-team.

Ask Owens when he turned the corner as a player. He talks about a practice three weeks ago in which he dominated his man despite severe sinus problems. Why didn't 1996 have that effect?

``I guess for the fact that people are trying to tell me I got my sacks because of Sean,'' he admitted. ``I try not to let that effect me, but at the same time, I'm like, `Eleven sacks is well and good, but that was last year. I'm a young player and we have a new coach and new system and I have to learn new techniques.' ''

Owens draws a correlation between his football career and his painting. The more paint he applies, the more something emerges - a form, an idea. Then it's a matter of refining what's there until he's satisfied.

``If I have another good season, those 11 sacks will mean more,'' he said. ``Then they'll be mine, in the bank, and no one can take them. The idea each year is to build on the past.'' ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Terry Owens, left, a star at Kutztown, says big brother Rich has the

proper attitude now.

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Rich Owens, right, with brother Terry, who cried when Rich was

drafted.

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