ABC has selected a former ninth-round NFL draft pick as the next lead of the hit dating series The "Golden Bachelor."
The network announced on April 22 that Mel Owens, 66, will star as the second lead of the realty show when it returns.
After being selected as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft, Owens was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams from 1981 to 1989.
Before that, he played football at the University of Michigan.
Who is Mel Owens?
Owens was raised in a close-knit Midwestern family in Detroit.
The former Rams player is now a lawyer in Orange County, California.
While his focus is no longer catching balls on the field, Owens has dedicated his life "to helping others, particularly those seeking justice for sports-related injuries," according to a press release shared by ABC.
The 66-year-old was previously married and has two sons with his ex-wife.
He is now single and hoping to find the next love of his life on television.
"Owens is ready to rediscover a love rooted in the simple joys of companionship – sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future, and growing stronger together as a couple," the release said. "As the Golden Bachelor, he’s eager to meet someone who shares this vision and finally find that perfect teammate he’s been waiting for in his golden years."
A premiere date for the second season of "The Golden Bachelor" has yet to be released. However, it will likely start sometime in 2025 or early 2026.
The reality show's inaugural season aired in September 2023. At the time, Gerry Turner, a restaurant owner and salesman who was 72 at the time, made history as the franchise's first-ever lead.
Turner proposed to Theresa Nist, 71, on the first season finale. The couple married in a televised wedding special, "The Golden Wedding," in January 202; however, they split a short time later. Their divorce was finalized in June 2024.
In true "Bachelor" form, the show aired a spinoff, the "Golden Bachelorette," in September 2024. The lead, Joan Vassos, 62, selected insurance executive Chock Chapple, 61, as the winner. As of this writing, the couple is still together.