Bachelor Nation has found its next Golden Bachelor: Mel Owens.

On April 22, ABC announced that the retired NFL player-turned-lawyer would step into the spotlight to find love among Bachelor Nation’s next group of senior women. When host Jesse Palmer asked Owens how he felt about becoming the next Golden Bachelor during Disney’s Get Real Event the next day, he replied, “Great.”

“It’s been 24 hours of craziness,” Owens added, explaining that he found out he had gotten the role the previous day.

The upcoming reality star hopes 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,” per ABC’s press release.

So, who is the Golden Bachelor? Here’s everything to know about Mel Owens — including the kind of love he’ll be looking for in the mansion.

He is from Michigan

Owens was born and raised in a “close-knit Midwestern family” in Detroit, per ABC. According to the South Florida Tribune, he was born on Dec. 7, 1958.

After being involved in athletics throughout his childhood, he went on to attend and play football at the University of Michigan.

According to ABC, he has since moved to Orange County, Calif.

He became a lawyer after playing in the NFL for eight years

Following his graduation from the University of Michigan, Owens was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he played as a linebacker until 1989.

During an April 2024 interview with the South Florida Tribune, Owens reflected on his NFL career, sharing that the highlight was being drafted.

“Two bookends. Everything in the middle is work,” he said. “But I played with a lot of great players, I had a great time … we built the NFL to where it is now. It was just before the TV contracts got big in the early 90s.”

Owens eventually retired from football and transitioned into a career in law, “dedicating himself to helping others — particularly those seeking justice for sports-related injuries,” per ABC.

During his conversation with the South Florida Tribune, Owens explained that his sports-related legal work helps him continue to feel “connected to the game.”

He was previously married

Owens was married for 25 years before he and his ex-wife — his “first love,” per ABC — got divorced.

While not much is known about their relationship, Owens shared at Disney’s Get Real Event that what he misses most about being married is “companionship.”

“I’m looking for it,” he said.

He has two sons

Owens has two sons, who he welcomed with his ex-wife. Per ABC, following his divorce and the death of his father, Owens “channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams.”

As Owens shared at Disney’s Get Real Event, both of his children plan to play baseball in college — and his younger son is to thank for him landing the leading role in Bachelor Nation.

“We were watching the regular Bachelor earlier on. He goes, ‘Yeah dad, you should be the Bachelor,’ ” Owens recalled. “The ad came out for [The Golden Bachelor]. He goes, ‘But you should be the real one though.’ “

Owens also shared his son’s special request: he wants to be standing next to his dad when the women “come out” to meet their potential match.

“I go, ‘Maybe if I get it, maybe I’ll pitch it to him,’ ” Owens said.

He is looking for “someone full of life”

The day after the announcement, Owens told Palmer a little bit about what he is looking for in his partner, saying he wants “someone that’s honest, charming, loving, fit. Someone full of life because it’s go time.”

Per the press release, Owens is “eager to meet someone who shares [his] vision and finally find that perfect teammate he’s been waiting for in his golden years.”