Coleman Owen, a proud member of the Choctaw Nation, is taking his talents to the NFL. The Gilbert, Arizona, native recently signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, fulfilling his lifelong dream.
“It was a dream come true,” said Owen. “It was something I’ve always dreamed about since I was a little kid. I never knew if it was really going to happen or not; I just worked as hard as I could to get there.”
Owen’s path to the NFL began with no scholarships out of high school.
He decided to bet on himself and trust his abilities, so he walked on at Northern Arizona University, where he earned a scholarship after just one year.
Over the next five seasons, he climbed into the program’s top ten in all-time receiving categories.
Owen transferred to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, for his final year of eligibility.
There, he broke the school’s all-time receiving record and helped lead the team to its first Mid-American Conference Championship in 65 years.
While at Ohio University, Owen gained social media attention for his touchdown celebrations, which he calls the “leg dab” that he borrowed from some of his college roommates at NAU.
After the 2024 NFL Draft, Owen received multiple offers from teams looking to sign him as a free agent.
The draft is a three-day process, and he says he spent those three days hanging out with family and friends, waiting for a call.
When he started receiving calls, he said things started moving very quickly.
“Me and my agent had to kind of decipher really quickly and make a decision on what was the best team for me to go to,” said Owen. “That ended up being the Colts.”
One week later, Owen was on a flight to Indianapolis, Indiana.
He joined 14 other rookies for five weeks of summer minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs).
He is currently on a short break and will resume team camp with the rest of the team at the end of July.
Representing the Choctaw Nation at such a high level means a lot to Owen.
“I’m very thankful to be a member of this tribe, and it’s something my dad has instilled in me since I was a kid,” said Owen. “I have pride in that.”
Faith and family keep Owen grounded and are his biggest motivators going into the upcoming season.
“One of my biggest motivators is to glorify God every day through my actions and through my work,” he said. “Another one is my family… I also just got married a couple weeks ago, so being able to provide for my family and my wife motivates me.”
Now, his primary focus is making the Colts’ final game-day roster and contributing wherever he is needed, whether as a wide receiver or a return specialist.
Going into his first NFL season, his advice to young Native athletes looking to compete at the same level is this:
“Put your head down and work hard every day. You might be counted out by some people… but hard work is going to outweigh all those things at the end of the day,” said Owen. “Trust God in his timing and have fun with whatever you’re doing.”