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A longtime employee of WFLA, Channel 8, Owens asked Brian Fasulo, host of the station's "Daytime" talk show, to give him a few seconds to spread the Buccaneer message each week during the football season. Fasulo and the show's producers agreed, and Owens set about inventing the character of Bucified Bert. He styled an appropriate outfit to reflect the spirit of his character: "At the age of 9, I was a shoeshine boy, like my favorite cartoon character 'Underdog,'" Owens says. From shoeshine boy to caped Bucs crusader, the journey was complete.

The highlight of my "Bucified Bert" career was when I interviewed some of the Bucs opposing team players in June 2002 and told them we were going to the Super Bowl. Later that year, talk show host Montel Williams interviewed me and told him that I bound for San Diego. It was a dream come true running through the airport in San Diego four days before Super Bowl XXXVII to pick up my rental car and check into the hotel. “Bucified Bert" then drove to the VIP center with video camera in hand and interviewed the one-and-only Don King, while some of the Buccaneers look on. Several Bucs players told “Bucified Bert” he was a great motivation to them.

As the personality of Bucified Bert continues to grow, Owens continues to add dimensions to the mission and the motto--which is an acronym for "Bucified": Be Understanding Citizens, Identify Friendly Individuals Each Day. "The motto reflects the moral values my mother bestowed upon me," says Owens, "and she expects me to be a positive role model." And this positive role model is proud to do volunteer work with children, the needy and the challenged. Owens is also able to reach out to Spanish-speaking fans, thanks to the Spanish he learned during his days as a shoeshine boy in Tampa’s Ybor City. Helping those in need is the new mission of Bucified Bert, and the legacy of his dear mother that he continues with his community efforts. As always, Bucified Bert is on their side.