Former KU basketball coach Ted Owens to have elective heart procedure Tuesday

Former Kansas basketball coach Ted Owens, 87, will undergo an elective heart procedure Tuesday in Tulsa, Okla., to make sure all coronary arteries are healthy, Owens’ son, Teddy Owens, said Monday.

“He has high blood pressure and has been under some stress. They’re concerned about maybe some (possible) blockage and just want to make sure everything is good, to make sure he doesn’t have any cardiac issues in the future,” Teddy Owens, Nebraska’s director of basketball operations, said in a phone conversation Monday morning.

Ted Owens, who compiled a 348-182 record in 19 seasons at KU, has been flooded with phone calls and texts from friends and former players who had heard he would be having a heart procedure but were unaware of details.

“To all of my friends and family who are concerned about me, I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. I am doing just fine and will do just fine tomorrow,” Ted Owens wrote on Facebook. “This is an elective, low-risk heart catheterization to make sure all of the coronary arteries in my heart look good. I have not had any chest pain or a heart attack. This is a preventive procedure to make sure I don’t have any cardiac issues in the future. I am so blessed to have the love of my family and so many great friends!”

Owens has had a lot going on the past few years. Chapter seven of his 2013 book, “At the Hang Up,” is being made into a movie. The chapter discusses Owens’ 1958 Cameron Aggies baseball squad, which won the national junior college championship. ESPN is in talks with the movie’s production company about possibly running a documentary on the same topic.

“I’m trying to find a way into the movie somehow. I told my dad I’ll work on my knuckleball, whatever I had to do to get in there,” Teddy Owens said, laughing.

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Former KU basketball coach Ted Owens to have elective heart procedure Tuesday."