Ex-La Habra Lineman Living a Dream : Football: Dan Owens now plays for the Detroit Lions. His former coaches say he was destined for stardom.

These are the best of times for Dan Owens.

Owens, a former all-Orange County lineman from La Habra High School and four-year starter at USC, is living a childhood dream as a starting defensive end for the Detroit Lions in his rookie season.

Owens was the 35th player selected in the NFL draft. He was nicknamed “Big Money” by his teammates after reportedly receiving a three-year contract at $370,000 per season.

Last June, he married his high school sweetheart, former La Habra cheerleader Susie Tannahill. They recently bought a home in Aliso Viejo.

Owens broke into the starting lineup in the Lions’ second game against the Atlanta Falcons and has started four of eight games.

And his future?

“Barring injury or something ridiculous like that, the kid can play in this league for 10 years if he wants,” Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said.

That’s the same kind of thing Owens’ coaches have been forecasting since he was a standout two-way lineman at La Habra.

Some samples through the years:

* Bob Rau, La Habra coach during Owens’ senior season: “I coached three future NFL players at Lowell,” Rau said. “Dan Owens compares favorably with those three (Brent Boyd of the Vikings, Kirk Dodge of the Lions and Dean Barnett of the Broncos) at a similar stage in their careers. He has a fine future ahead of him.”

* Tim Devaney of Sunny Hills, North coach for the 1985 county all-star game: “We had to take Dan off the field (during practices), because we couldn’t run our offensive plays with him on the defensive line. I knew right then he was going to be a great college player.”

Owens was named the player of the game.

* Kevin Wolthausen, defensive line coach at USC: “I’m not surprised at anything Dan Owens does. Dan showed us from the first day he was here that he had all the qualities to become a great college player, and he’s obviously taken those qualities one notch higher to play in the NFL.”

Coaches say Owens’ commitment, work ethic and competitive drive eparate him from many other players. Fontes must have known something about those attributes when he called to tell Owens he had been picked in the draft’s second round.

“Like you guys at USC, all we want to do is win,” Fontes said. “Do you want to be a Detroit Lion?”

“Sure do,” said Owens, who has never been long on words.

End of conversation and beginning of an NFL career.

Owens is a gifted athlete who combines size and strength with quickness. He weighs 275 pounds, but Fontes says he’s the Lions’ most agile lineman.

“He moves laterally along the line better than anybody we’ve got,” Fontes said. “He has the ability to play left end, right end or even nose guard.”

Owens held his own last week against Washington Redskin lineman Jim Lachey. After dominating opponents in the Pacific 10, he finds the NFL a real challenge.

“Almost everybody you play against is better, bigger and stronger than you’ve known,” Owens said. “In some ways, it’s like starting all over again.”

It’s a familiar feeling for Owens. He redshirted his freshman year at USC but broke into the lineup the following year in the team’s opener against Illinois. He was a fixture on the line for four years.

“My first game was sort of weird, because I hadn’t played since my senior year in high school,” he said. “I was only nervous about messing up.”

Owens played in the shadow of USC teammate Tim Ryan for four years, but Ryan said he wasn’t surprised that he was drafted after Owens, in the third round by the Chicago Bears.

“I think he’s really an underrated player,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen him do things to other guys on film that I haven’t seen done to other players. He takes guys five yards into the backfield and just throws them.”

Owens said playing in the NFL is everything he expected and more.

“It’s a lot different here than playing against 18- and 19-year-old freshmen when I first started at USC,” he said. “Last Sunday, I was up against Lachey, who is one of the best tackles in the NFL. I thought I did OK.”

Owens had two sacks, including one that dropped Redskin quarterback Jeff Rutledge at his own two-yard line in overtime. But Rutledge completed a 40-yard pass on his next play, and that paved the way to a Washington field goal and a 41-38 victory.

Detroit has struggled to a 3-5 record after winning all four of its exhibition games.

“We got a lot of breaks in the preseason that we aren’t getting now,” Owens said. “We could have easily won our games against Tampa Bay, Green Bay and Washington. It’s a little frustrating after being on a winner at USC for four years.”

Asked if, while at La Habra, he dared to dream of playing in the NFL, Owens said his only goal initially was success in college.

“When I got to USC, I put all my energy into becoming a good college lineman,” Owens said. “After my junior year, I started thinking, ‘I can play in the NFL.’

“My roommate (Brad Leggett) and I would watch NFL games and see all these guys we had played with or against in college. I’d see somebody and say to Brad, ‘That guy wasn’t really that good, and he’s playing in the NFL.’

“That’s when I realized what it’s all about. Your success depends a lot on being the right guy in the right situation . . . being in the right place at the right time.

“After playing three years, I should be set financially. I have a good opportunity in Detroit. Hopefully, I’ll be around for 10 years.”