NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — LaDarius Owens turned and just kept running.
He shielded one Alabama player, blocked another and started sprinting after teammate Chris Davis — trailing 10 yards behind — with the best view of what may be the greatest play in college football history, before joining the dog pile at the back of the end zone after Auburn’s incredible Iron Bowl win.
The Tide’s two-year reign was over. The Tigers were in contention for a national title.
It was Auburn’s most memorable moment, but not its most important moment.
Forty-three years prior, Owens’ uncle, James Owens, stepped onto the same field, debuting as a fullback at Jordan-Hare Stadium as the school’s first black football player.
“I was very nervous, I guess a lot of anxiety, realizing that it wasn’t about me, it was about a whole race of people that were caring and cheering, and I didn’t want to fail them,” James told The Post. “I realized, you’re not only doing this for you, you’re doing this hoping that there are better days ahead.”
LaDarius, who spent time living with his uncle growing up, has heard the stories of racial taunts and threats. He has heard how his uncle watched only black college football teams growing up because he knew there was no chance he could play for Auburn or Alabama. He has heard about the cheap shots his uncle took from opponents, the gyms he couldn’t play in, the restaurants he couldn’t go to.
He has heard how many times his uncle almost quit — lonely and frustrated — but didn’t.
So when the defensive end struggled last year as a sophomore, seeing sparse playing time on a team that went 3-9, Owens thought of hanging it up. Then, he thought of his uncle.
“Since I’ve been in college, particularly, he’s been the biggest impact in my life,” Owens said. “Football-wise, that was the hardest time in my life. Not being able to play, I was down and discouraged and wasn’t sure if football was for me, but he kept me going. He just kept me motivated and determined, and I came in this season with a new attitude.
“He just makes me have more of an appreciation for everything, knowing what he went through, not taking anything for granted and the opportunities that I have. With what he had to overcome, when you feel tired or discouraged, I’m not dealing with anything like he had to go through, so I push through it.”
Owens, who redshirted as a freshman on the Tigers’ national championship team in 2010, became a starter this season, with his 62-year-old uncle at every home game, despite heart problems.
The two talk after every game and often get together, when LaDarius will come over for dinner and end up getting coached with a pre-meal film session. Sometimes, his teammates come along, too.
“Every player who comes through Auburn needs to know about James Owens. Most importantly, every black player needs to understand what he did,” Auburn defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker said. “If it wasn’t for him and his courage, we wouldn’t be here.”
James considered coming out to Monday’s BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, Calif., but ultimately decided against it, citing health concerns. He’ll be at home — in Auburn — watching on TV, “pretending [he’s] in the stands.”
He won’t be at the game, but he is the reason his nephew is. He is the reason so many of his teammates are here, too.
“Every time I go over there, I get tears in my eyes with all of the good things that are going on at Auburn,” James said. “To see everything now, how people accept one another and enjoy each other, it makes me feel like everything was worthwhile.”