who are mel owens parents

Mel Owens' parents are Walter "Walt" Owens and Janice Owens. His father Walter Owens was a professional baseball player in the Negro American League with the Detroit Stars in the 1950s, later a teacher and coach in Detroit Public Schools. Walter Owens passed away in 2020 at age 87. It is unclear if Janice Owens is Mel's biological mother, but she was married to Walter Owens and was involved in the community as well. Mel grew up in Detroit before moving to Illinois in ninth grade due to his father's coaching job at Northern Illinois University.