Anthony Owens

Defensive Back, William Amos Hough high school

The High School Comeback Player of the Year Award is given annually to a senior football player who has not only excelled on the football field but has also overcome medical adversity.  The 2022 recipient is Anthony Owens, a cornerback from William A. Hough High School.

A month after moving from Georgia to North Carolina last year, Anthony fell seriously ill.  He was rushed to the hospital as he was having extreme difficulty breathing. In the emergency room, it was discovered his heart was only functioning at 50% capacity.  Doctors were having a hard time figuring out the diagnosis based on his symptoms.  Eventually, it was determined that Owens had Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), an extremely rare condition associated with COVID-19 in which different parts of the body become severely inflamed.  Doctors were worried that Owens might not live.

Anthony was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for two weeks, hooked up to numerous machines, where his treatment included many medications and getting his blood drawn three times a day.  Owens was eventually given a heart monitor and by mid-January 2022 he was cleared to work out.  Anthony is now going into week 7 of the 2022 season with 18 tackles and 3 tackles for a loss.

At one point in his recovery, Owens thought he might never get to play football again and he is truly grateful for the opportunity to continue participating in the game he loves.

It is with great pleasure that the Charlotte Touchdown Club and Novant Health Sports Medicine present Anthony Owens with this year’s Thomas Davis Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The Award:

The purpose of this award is to elevate the community’s awareness of football as a safe, healthy and character building sport.

The emphasis of this award is directed toward a player’s ability to return safely to football following a medical adversity.

Award Criteria:

The player has received evaluation and treatment for a medical adversity by his high school trainer, area physician, or physical therapist in the preceding 24 months.

The player has subsequently returned to the playing field and is currently participating in football during this calendar year. The medical adversity does not have to be directly related to a football injury. The winner will be chosen by a review panel selected by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The winner will be recognized for his achievement at the annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards in December. He will receive a trophy and a $2,000 honorarium will be given to his high school athletic department. Each finalist will receive a certificate recognizing him as a finalist for this award.

High schools in the greater Charlotte region are strongly encouraged to submit an application for this award. We are looking for inspirational stories of players working hard to overcome difficulties with their health and pushing themselves for the good of the team and their love of football.