June 2, 2008

DeKALB, Ill. - Former Northern Illinois baseball coach Walt Owens will be honored by Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs in a Special Negro Leagues Player Draft prior to the First-Year Player Draft on June 5.

The Special Negro Leagues Player Draft, aired live exclusively on BaseballChannel.TV, allows each Major League club to pick one surviving former Negro League player to represent every player who did not have the opportunity to play Major League Baseball.

Owens, who led the Huskie baseball program from 1976-82, played three seasons in the Negro Leagues (1953-55) as a pitcher/first baseman for the Detroit Stars. When baseball integrated in Detroit in 1957, Owens played for the all-white Detroit Pepsi-Cola team. During his playing career, Owens was a part of three high school championship teams and won four National Amateur Baseball Championships.

Owens won 133 games in his seven years as Northern Illinois' head baseball coach, a total that made him the school's career victory leader and ranks third presently. Owens' best season at NIU came in 1977 when the Huskies went 26-13-2 (.659) and finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference with an 8-5-1 (.667) mark.

MLB.com will carry every pick of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, which takes place June 5-6 in Orlando, Fla. Day 1 coverage on BaseballChannel.TV begins at 12 p.m. CT with a special ceremonial draft of former Negro Leaguers who will be on hand. The First-Year Player Draft follows at 1 p.m. CT with a simulcast of ESPN2's broadcast of the first round and compensation picks. Remaining rounds on Day 1 will be shown exclusively on BaseballChannel.TV.

Day 2 will get under way at 10:30 am CT and continue through Round 50, if necessary, and every pick can be heard live at MLB.com.

-NIU-