Owen Schmitt

In 2015, Owen also appeared in a new music video for the nationally released single "Jesse James", by the Davisson Brothers Band. The video was directed by Steve Condon and premiered on Sirius XM's the Highway. The video was later released and aired on CMT, Great American Country and Vevo. The video also included cameos from the iconic American Wall of Death riders.

After graduation from high school, he enrolled at Wisconsin–River Falls. At River Falls, he posted a 1,063 yards and five touchdown performance his freshman year, which earned him WIAC all-conference honors in only nine starting games.

In Schmitt's career, he earned 21 career starts, four of which were at tight end. Through his 353 career carries (at WVU and Wisconsin–River Falls), he was only tackled for a loss four times. He carried the ball for 1,003 yards, a 6.3 yard average, during his Mountaineer career. In his four collegiate seasons, Schmitt totaled 122 points and 2,398 all-purpose yards.

In 2013, Schmitt partnered with the Davisson Brothers Band and opened "Schmitt's Saloon and Davisson Brothers Band Music Hall" in Morgantown, West Virginia to be the band's music hub at home. Later that year the music video for the un-released single "Country Just Like Me", by the Davisson Brothers Band, was shot by Nashville director Steve Condon, which included cameos by Owen Schmitt, famed bluegrass musician Del McCoury and other Nashville musicians and friends. Schmitt continued to run the establishment, which hosted other national country acts, until he closed it in June 2018, telling Morgantown's newspaper, The Dominion Post, "It was a great place, but I’m just worn out. I was cooking, cleaning and bartending and I didn’t get to run my business because it was running me all the time." The establishment's landlord also indicated that business declined after a major fight in the parking lot resulted in at least one serious injury. The former Schmitt's Saloon was also a barbecue restaurant, with Schmitt serving as the main barbecue chef; he had expanded that portion of the Saloon into a catering business. When he closed the Saloon, he planned to make the catering business a full-time profession.

On May 15, 2012, he signed with the Oakland Raiders.

On December 10, 2012, the Raiders released Schmitt and promoted cornerback Chimdi Chekwa from the practice squad. Schmitt played in 13 games, with four starts when Marcel Reece shifted to tailback following injuries to Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson.

On September 6, 2010, the Seahawks released Schmitt, citing the lack of need for a true fullback in the Seattle offense.

Schmitt was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles on September 13, 2010 following a season-ending injury to Leonard Weaver. On December 2 against the Houston Texans in week 13, Schmitt caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Vick, marking Schmitt's first career touchdown with the Eagles.

Following the March 2009 free agency departure of starting fullback Leonard Weaver to the Philadelphia Eagles, Schmitt was expected to compete with Justin Griffith for the starting Fullback role for the 2009 season.

Schmitt attracted media and YouTube attention in the aftermath of a game during the 2009 NFL season during which he smashed his helmet against his head until he opened up a large gash.

Schmitt accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama following the season. He was then invited to the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine. Schmitt's 26 bench reps were tied for the fourth best by a back in the Combine.

Schmitt was drafted in the fifth round (163rd overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He was the second Mountaineer selected in the draft, behind Steve Slaton in the third round (89th overall) to the Houston Texans. Schmitt signed a four-year $1.87 million contract that included a $158,000 signing bonus. In his first preseason game as a Seahawk, he rushed one time for two yards, caught two passes for 35 yards and also had two tackles on special teams against the Minnesota Vikings. The following week, against the Chicago Bears, he recorded one reception for 15 yards.

In 2007, his senior year, Schmitt was arguably one of the best fullbacks in the nation. He also took many snaps at tight end in spring practice, where head coach Rich Rodriguez lined him up occasionally. Schmitt's first big game of the season came against Maryland when he carried the ball four times for 46 yards, including a 44-yard run early in the 31-14 win. According to ESPN during the game, Schmitt had broken eight face masks in his career to that point. In the next game against East Carolina, Schmitt rushed for 32 yards on four carries with two receptions for nine yards. Against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, he earned MVP honors with two touchdowns on eight carries for 39 yards; in that game he also had a 31-yard reception (where he hurdled one defender and ran over another) and a 27-yard punt that was downed inside the Syracuse 10-yard line on a trick play. In a subsequent game, a 28-23 victory over #22 Cincinnati, he rushed for 19 yards on six carries, including the first score of the game, a four-yard touchdown run. After wins over Louisville and Cincinnati, he had reportedly recorded 10 broken facemasks. WVU's impressive run to the national title game was sidetracked on the last game of the season with a bitter, improbable loss in the Backyard Brawl to Pitt. This knocked them out of the National Championship game and matched them up instead with #4 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

As a rush blocker, Schmitt finished the 2007 season with 106 knockdown blocks and 17 touchdown-resulting blocks. He also finished the season with two of his three "pooch" punts downed inside the 20-yard line, for an average of 20.3 yards-per-punt.

In 2006, Slaton, White, and Schmitt were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's regional "Big Man On Campus" article. With high expectations, the Mountaineers finished with an 11-2 record. Schmitt rushed for 351 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, and also caught one touchdown pass. His blocking helped Slaton to another phenomenal year—1,744 yards. Schmitt's biggest game was the come-from-behind Gator Bowl win against Georgia Tech, where he filled in for the injured Slaton and rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Schmitt is also featured on the cover of the PSP version of NCAA Football 09. He also shared a Sports Illustrated regional cover for the 2006 college football preview with teammates Steve Slaton and Pat White.

Schmitt attended spring practice the next year at West Virginia University. A walk-on to the Mountaineers' squad, Schmitt became the starter that fall as a sophomore for the 2005 season and it was a breakout year. He was active as both a rusher and as a primary blocker. At the midpoint of the season, freshman Steve Slaton earned the starting spot at halfback, and with quarterback Pat White at the helm, Schmitt and Slaton teamed up to make one of the best rushing tandems in the NCAA. Schmitt totaled 380 yards and two touchdowns himself, while Slaton was a huge beneficiary of his blocking, recording 1,128 yards and seventeen touchdowns.

Owen Schmitt (born February 13, 1985) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia University.