Longtime Indiana basketball coach Rick “Rex” Owens took his last breath on March 29, 2025, at the age of 79.
Rick Owens left behind his mother, Julia Owens; his beloved wife, Nickie Owens; five children: Owen Ogden, Tammy Roark, Laura Lambert, Jeri Sue Owens, and Dawn Harmon; and two stepchildren, Scott Longnecker and Angie Wright.
He is also survived by his sister, Becky Krueger, 12 grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.
The tragic news of his passing comes a day after he celebrated the 20th birthday of his grandson Elijah Owens.
His wife of 25 years, Nickie originally from Winchester, Indiana, is a former guidance director at Winchester Community High School.
A graduate of Lee L. Driver High School Nickie was also a math teacher at Winchester Community High School and Northeastern Jr./Sr. High School.
Rick Owens’s daughter Jeri Sue Owens followed her father’s footsteps in the sports world. She is a Junior Varsity Volleyball coach at Yorktown Community Schools.
A graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, Jeri is a former Junior Varsity Volleyball coach at Wapahani Athletics. She worked at Union Jr. Sr. High School and Blue River Valley Junior Senior High School.
An Athlete Turned Official and Coach Rick Owens Was Inducted Into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019!
Rick Owens was born in Winchester, Indiana, on December 8, 1945. From a young age, he excelled at basketball.
At Union (Modoc) High School, he graduated in 1964 as Randolph County’s all-time career scoring leader with 1,464 points.
Let alone basketball, a multi-sport athlete, Owens also competed in baseball, track, and cross country.
It was his talent that earned him a basketball scholarship to Ball State University, where he played one season on the freshman team.
However, he set aside his plans to transfer to William Penn University and chose to serve his country. Rick Owens enlisted in the Navy for four years.
That said, his love for basketball continued as he played basketball even during his military service, also taking up softball and volleyball.
After his time in the Navy, Rick Owens returned to Indiana and started his career as an Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) official.
Over 33 years, he officiated 28 sectionals, 19 regionals, seven semi-states, and three state championships (1991, 1995, 1999).
Eventually, in 2019, his contributions were formally recognized when he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a Men’s Center Circle Officials Award winner.
Not to forget, Owens also served as president and vice president of the Eastern Indiana Officials Association.
Later in his career, Rick Owens transitioned into coaching. He started as an assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team at Union and later became the head coach from 2000 to 2004.
He then spent six years as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Winchester Community High School, eventually stepping into the head coaching role from 2010 to 2014.
Under his leadership, the Golden Falcons won their most recent sectional championship in 2011. After resigning from Winchester in 2014, Owens joined Monroe Central as an assistant coach under Justin Ullom.
He remained with the Golden Bears even after Ullom moved to Muncie Central, contributing to their second regional title in school history during the most recent season.
Meanwhile, details surrounding his memorial service have yet to be published by his family.
