'Timing is everything': Central State football sends off AD Tara Owens with BCFHOF win

CANTON - You couldn't paint a better picture of Tara Owens' last day as Central State's athletic director.

As the Marauders won their season opener in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic, Owens got to leave on a positive note as she moves on to serving the same role at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore after her four-year tenure at Central State. While she is proud to see the Marauders victorious on Labor Day Weekend, it is also bittersweet for her because of the positive growth she is seeing since she started in 2018.

"This was a really tough decision for me because we are still building at Central, and so wonderful things are happening," Owens said. "But also we have to take on opportunities."

Owens is confident she played her role in leaving Central State athletics in a better place than when she arrived.

"The best part of it was the fact that people knew and understand that Central State had a great alumni following, so that helped us in a great deal because at the end of the day, you want the people in the seats," Owens said.

Central State was scheduled to play in the BCFHOF Classic in 2020, but the game was canceled that year because of COVID-19. Owens was excited when the school got the offer to play in this year's classic.

"Timing is everything," Owens said. "This has been a very important game for historically Black colleges and the Black College Football Hall of Fame. It was something that I wanted to make sure I attended, but also be a part of it as part of Central State staff. That was a definite for me. "

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Owens had high expectations for the football program, and she was looking for someone who she felt fit the description of building a new winning tradition at Central State after going 1-9 last season. Kevin Porter fit that description.

"We knew his leadership will get us where it needed to go and you could see it in everything that they do daily from practices to organization," Owens said. "So we were happy to see the product of the field. But the expectation was we're going to be better. And for me, it just feels good to leave on a high note, knowing that we've done a good job in our selection of our head coach and our student-athletes feel good about where they are."

After the game, Porter talked about Owens and how much she meant to him and the football program. Porter wants to continue to be build his football program the way Owens envisioned after she hired him last December.

"She has been behind me as a football coach every step of the way," Porter said. "She and the president have given me a great opportunity to take over a program that historically has a tremendous football tradition. To be able to be given the opportunity ... to get the program back to a level where the university can be proud of what we are doing, it's a huge honor for me, and I thank her for that. "

Owens considered her biggest accomplishment during her tenure was how the school took care of student-athletes and stressed the value of their education. She is proud of graduation rate of Central State athletes. She also prioritized renovating athletic facilities such as the new football turf and had a focus on scholarship funding.

"It has been moving pretty quickly, but I have been given full support of Dr. (Jack) Thomas, the president of the university and everyone there," Owens said. "It has been a great farewell and I feel good about it. I've made some wonderful friendships and Central State will always be dear to my heart."

Home is where the heart is

Owens is from Washington D.C., and played college basketball at Virginia State, where she got her degree in 1994. Being able to return closer to her hometown played a factor in her decision to leave Central State for Maryland Eastern Shore.

"I'm huge on family, and I'm huge on people, and I think getting closer to my family and being able to be close to them in the position that I love and doing something that I love, meant a lot to me. It factored a great deal," Owens said.

Maryland Eastern Shore is a member of the MEAC, a conference that is Division I for HBCUs. The biggest goal for Owens once she begins her duties at Maryland Eastern Shore is to offer energy and passion to the school. The rest will fall into place as she plans to build relationships with the staff members the same way she did at Central State.

As the Marauders begin their search for their new AD, Owens has a message for the next candidate in line.

"I would just say continue to move forward," Owens said. "Forward thinking matters. And the things that people say they can't or cannot do, just believe that you can. Know that Central is a special place and understand that it is a special opportunity to be a leader of a group of people, these group of student-athletes and do the best that you absolutely can for them to have the best experiences that they can."

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Central State football helps Tara Owens leave on high note