On his way out of Congress, Rep. Burgess Owens still sees his future in education 

As Utah Republican Rep. Burgess Owens prepares to turn off the lights and close the door to his career in public office, he finds himself ending on the same note that sparked his interest in government. And he says he’ll now pursue similar ventures in the private sector.

After retiring from the NFL in 1983, he aimed to focus on solutions for at-risk children and kids getting out of the juvenile justice system, he said during an interview hosted by the conservative think tank Sutherland Institute on Tuesday. And that’s what led him to pursue a seat in the U.S. House.

“Well, I realized that if things didn’t change in D.C. then that was not going to happen. So I decided to start this journey in D.C.,” Owens said. “What has happened now, after six years, the last years, is the dream I began 40 years ago is now coming to fruition.”

He referred to the initiatives he pushed as chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, including efforts to expand school choice offerings at the federal level, as well bills he sponsored, including the MATCH Act, which creates “Learning and Employment Records,” allowing employers to hire based on verified skills and credentials.

Facing new congressional boundaries, Utah Rep. Burgess Owens won’t seek reelection

His school choice proposal to expand K-12 educational options nationwide passed through the 2025 spending package known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” and the MATCH Act passed in committee to be considered by the full House. 

“I left the NFL with a focus on helping out at-risk kids. There’s nothing more important than doing it through the workforce process and good education,” Owens told Utah News Dispatch after the panel. “So, I hope that’s going to be the legacy that, in generations to come, might not know my name, but I’ll be part of a good group of people that decide to put together some good policies.”

Owens announced he wouldn’t seek reelection in March after a lawsuit he filed alongside Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy contesting Utah’s new congressional maps failed. However, he didn’t address the anti-gerrymandering legal fight in his lengthy social media post announcing his retirement from Congress.

“I will finish this term fully committed and fully accountable. My final political sprint will be here in Utah and across the country, helping my colleagues expand our Republican majority,” Owens said then. “Though this chapter closes, my commitment to advancing opportunity, advocating for our children, and strengthening families will continue in new ways.”

The Utah Republican was elected to Utah’s previous 4th Congressional District in 2020, when he prevailed over the Democratic incumbent at the time, Ben McAdams, by tight margins. He served three consecutive terms. 

Now, he said, he’s ready to focus his attention where he feels most comfortable: the private sector.

“You know, being a politician is work, and I don’t mind it. But I love being in the private sector,” he said. “So I’m excited about being in Utah and take some of the things we’ve done over the last couple of years, and now implementing it, helping Utah to really take advantage of it. So it’s a great chapter for me. I’m looking forward to it.”

His private sector pursuits are still to be determined, but he said he’s passionate about the Learning and Employment Records effort he pushed in Congress, and he may work on expanding that system. He also sees himself finding solutions for states to “understand” and “work through” school choice.

But, for now, he knows that he’s staying in Utah.

“Utah’s home. Six kids and 19 grands here in Utah,” he said. “This is home for good.”