If there’s one person in NFL history who defines the word bold, it’s former wide receiver Terrell Owens, who, after playing 15 seasons and scoring 153 touchdowns, proved that he was one of a kind with his outrageous—and historic—celebrations.
Knowing this, Butterfinger asked T.O. to take part in its Bolder Than Bold campaign, which saw the future Hall of Famer take to the streets with comedian Billy Eichner to have fans show off their favorite touchdown dances.
Hoping to bring back the art of the bold celebration, Butterfinger announced that it will cover up to $50,000 in excessive celebration fines charged against NFL players through Super Bowl 50—so who better than Owens to help inspire some moves?
I got to sit down with T.O. to talk shop, getting the details about some of his most famous celebrations, as well as who he thinks is the best in the league right now at showing their bold skills once they cross the goal line—among other dope stories.
BroBible: Not only are you one of the top receivers in NFL history, but you’re basically the undisputed champ of TD celebrations, can you talk about how you came up with some of them?
Terrell Owens: “Most of them were kind of impromptu and just motivation for me to get into the end zone, ’cause there really wasn’t reason to celebrate unless I crossed the goal line. I worked extremely hard throughout the course of my career and just prided myself on being the go-to guy and the playmaker for my team, so, with that, there comes a lot of responsibility. I knew that when Jerry (Rice) left, and even when he was there, I had a great responsibility to be the guy.
What a lot of people didn’t know about me was that I was really creative and I liked to dance when growing up, I even won a couple Michael Jackson dance contests, so that’s where a lot of those touchdown celebrations sort of came from.”
BB: Off the top of my head, the Sharpie, the Dallas Cowboys star and the Ray Lewis dance were probably your most famous, do you have an all-time favorite?
T.O.: “No, I don’t think I have an all-time favorite. I mean, all of the ones you mentioned were special, you know, depending on the game or the moment. But, again, the things that you mentioned, the Dallas Star and the Sharpie, I don’t think I understood at that time just how much of an impact they would have, but that’s who I’ve been known for being, flamboyant and bold.”
BB: Speaking of that Cowboys’ star celebration, can you talk about how you even came up with the idea? I mean, it took a lot of balls to do that, man.
T.O.: “You know, when we traveled to the visiting stadiums, we would get there early and kind of just go through some of our plays and stuff like that to make sure everyone’s dialed in for the game.
And, as everyone knows, the Cowboys are considered ‘America’s Team’ and that it’s God’s team in God’s country. So, when we were playing there in the stadium that had a big hole in the roof, it was sort of like God was looking down on us while playing there.
So my coaches and teammates they knew I was always trying to make a statement, so my receivers coach, George Stewart, basically told me at the time, ‘T, they say this is God’s country, so you’ve got to come to the (Dallas Cowboys) star tomorrow.’
I didn’t really think too much of it, but it just happened. I scored, sprinted to the star and just put my arms up to give thanks to God for the opportunity and for him blessing me on that day. So that’s kind of how that transpired.
I think a lot of people have their misconceptions as far as why I did it, what happened and what prompted it, but that’s the honest truth of why it happened.”
BB: I know you’ve teamed up with Butterfinger to get fans’ favorite touchdown dances, did you see any that were pretty impressive?
T.O.: “Yeah there were a couple good ones. You know, the fans said they were bold, but they weren’t as bold as they thought they were once the cameras were rolling. There were a couple good ones, though, yeah. It was a really fun day.”
BB: Would Roger Goodell have fined any of those fans for their performances?
T.O.: (laughs) “Yeah, you know, the fans may have gotten slapped with a fine for their dances, but, you know, man, I gave them by honest and bold opinions, whether they were good or bad or not.”
BB: Is there a celebration that you regret not doing, or wish you had done before another player got to? (Like the Joe Horn cell phone)
T.O.: “No, not really, because, you know, I think I was a trickster, so anything that other guys did, I think that they were sort of inspired by my boldness. It was all about creativity for me, trying to one up myself every week if I got into the end zone.
For me, I think that’s why I scored so many touchdowns as I did, because it was motivation for me and part of the entertainment. Fans want to enjoy the game, but they also want to be entertained at the same time, so that was my deal.”
BB: Which players in the NFL today would you put on your All T.O. Celebration team?
T.O.: “Celebration wise, if you look at guys who have a lot of flair about them, I’d say Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Cam Newton.
If you look at Antonio Brown, he tries to be really creative, considering the limitations the league has put down on celebrations, so a lot of guys are just sticking to the hip hop dances and the culture that’s out there, but Antonio seems to do something spectacular whenever he gets into the end zone.
When you look at Cam, he’s one of those guys who goes out there and has fun, and is one of those guys who has a little bit of a personality for a quarterback, because other guys at his position are usually so calm and collected.”
BB: If you could catch the game-winner in a Super Bowl, how over-the-top would your celebration have been? Rod Tidwell-esque?
T.O.: (laughs) “Oh, man, it would be Rod Tidwell-T.O.-esque. I would act a fool!
I would probably injure myself, especially considering it would be for a game-winner, going straight to the hospital because I would probably break something from going so crazy.
Knowing my personality, oh my gosh, there’s no telling what I would do; I would be out of my mind. Let me tell you something, man, they would be throwing flags left and right.”
BB: Hey, T.O., how about some Rapid Fire?
T.O.: (laughs) OK, man. Let’s do it!
BB: Which current QB would you most want throwing you the ball?
T.O.: “Tom Brady.”
BB: Who’s the best teammate you’ve ever had?
T.O.: “Oh, man, that’s really hard right there. I can’t really pinpoint one particular teammate, because I had so many teammates that all meant a lot to me, so it’s hard to just pick one.
BB: How about we just say any quarterback that was throwing you the ball?
T.O.: (laughs) “Yeah, man, definitely those guys.”
BB: Biggest accomplishment in your football life?
T.O.: “Man I would say just making it to the NFL and playing for as long as I did and being successful.
I played for 15 years and, definitely, think that I could have played more, but just making it to the NFL was the biggest accomplishment. It gave me a lot of opportunities for both myself and my family, because football afforded me the chance to repay my family for how they took care of me growing up.”
BB: If given the chance to play again, could you get 1,000 yards right now in the NFL?
T.O.: “Oh absolutely. No doubt about it.”
BB: Can you mention this interview as your favorite ever during your HOF speech?
T.O.: (laughs) “Wooo, man, putting me on the spot. That’s TBD, how about that, man?”