Emmett Edwards ranks as one of best wide receivers in KU history

You just never forget your first childhood heroes; they stay a close part of you forever. That’s why I’ll never forget former KU star wide receiver Emmett Edwards, one of the all-time KU football greats. Emmett was my first KU football hero and he brightened my childhood immensely.

I was just 7 years old when I first saw Edwards play in the fall of 1973. I can still close my eyes and see Edwards sprinting down the right sideline and catching a bomb from quarterback David Jaynes. This memory still makes me smile and think back to happy times at Memorial Stadium.

Edwards finished his magical career in 1974 as KU’s all-time leader in receptions (105) and yardage (1,808). Despite playing only three years (freshmen were ineligible back then), this former world-class sprinter currently ranks No. 6 in career yardage and No. 11 in career receptions.

Edwards, a Kansas City native, also ranks No. 1 in average yards per catch (17.2) with a minimum of 100 catches. His career-best 49 receptions in 1973 ranks No. 14 for a single season. Edwards would rank even higher in the KU record books had the Jayhawks not gone to a wishbone offense in 1974, when Edwards caught a team-high 30 passes.

He was named All-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974, and was a ‘74 Sporting News first-team All-American. Edwards, who was a member of the 1973 Liberty Bowl squad, was also named to the all-time KU team.

Edwards and Bruce Adams comprised one of the best receiving duos in KU annals.

I soon thought of Emmett when my editor at Jayhawk Insider Lauretta McMillen asked me to write the Where are they Now? profiles on former KU athletes in the summer of 1999. That was a dream come true. I immediately walked out of my home, smiled and took a deep breath. I had always wanted to write these profiles, and now I was finally getting my chance.

Since it was August with football season upon us, the first person I thought of calling for my Where are they Now? interview was Emmett. We had a wonderful conversation about his KU career, his short stint in the NFL, where he teamed with O.J. Simpson for one season in Buffalo, and what he’s been up to since his football career ended.

I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness interviewing my childhood hero. Emmett couldn’t have been any kinder.

Here is that Where are they Now? story on Emmett Edwards, the first one I ever wrote for Jayhawk Insider.

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Emmett Edwards will never forget the phone call he received from Don Fambrough in 1971. Fambrough, who was beginning his first year as Kansas head football coach, called Edwards to talk about the pros and cons of redshirting that season.

“He told me, ‘Well Emmett, you could redshirt, and you never know, you could have a career like O.J. Simpson.’ I said, ‘That’s a pretty good one, coach.’”

Edwards, who eventually redshirted and became one of the greatest football players in KU history, didn’t think too much about his talk with Fambrough at the time until five years later when he began his second and final season in the NFL.  

Edwards had just been traded to the Buffalo Bills by the Houston Oilers, where he played his rookie season. On his first day in Buffalo, Edwards held court with a group of reporters in the Bills’ locker room.

“A guy just asked me about Gale Sayers,” Edwards said from his home in Lee’s Summit, Mo. “As I was saying Gale this and Gale that, he (Simpson) comes in. Everybody just stopped. My mind immediately went back to what Don Fambrough said. All of a sudden, one of the reporters asked, ‘What about O.J. Simpson?’ I said, ‘Well, he’s pretty good, too.’”

Edwards, who concluded his career as the all-time leading receiver in KU history (he now ranks third), caught two passes for 53 yards with the Bills in 1976, and was waived the following year. Edwards then relocated from Houston back to his native Kansas City. After an unsuccessful tryout with the Chiefs, he waited patiently for another team to call. 

It never came.

 

Edwards, who received his degree in social studies education in 1975, moved on with his life. He spent five years as a middle school teacher in the Kansas City school district. Then, in 1983, he changed career paths again and went to work at Allied Signal in Olathe. He has been there ever since. 

 

As production control specialist, Edwards’ job is to formulate a plan on getting the electronic and avionic products through the processing system and out the door to the customer.

He explains why he made the jump from teaching to Allied Signal.

“I liked to teach, but teaching, you start out low man on the totem pole,” Edwards said. “It was moving a little slow.”

Nobody could ever excuse Edwards of being slow. A product of Kansas City Central High School, Edwards made his name at KU with his blazing speed in both football and track. He culminated a stellar track career in 1974 by anchoring Kansas to the NCAA championship in the 440-yard relay at Austin, Texas.

“That was the king of the hill,” he said.

Of course, Edwards is best known for his feats on the gridiron. He was all-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974, and a first-team Sporting News All-American in 1974. Edwards actually had his best season in 1973, when he caught 49 passes for 802 yards in helping lead KU to a berth in the Liberty Bowl. He has fond memories of that year, especially the thrilling stretch run. KU beat Iowa State (22-20), Colorado (17-15) and Missouri (14-13) in three of its final five games.

 

“Everyone was bringing all they had to bring,” Edwards said. “I just give credit to the coaching and everyone living up to the Kansas tradition.” 

Edwards, 47, feels blessed to be a part of this rich tradition at Mount Oread.

 

“It was a great experience, and one I wish everyone could witness and be a part of,” he said. 

While he wishes he could have duplicated his success at KU in the NFL, Edwards is at peace with himself. He said he loved playing with Simpson in Buffalo. It seems the two hit it off after the first day they saw each other in the Bills’ locker room. Simpson respected Sayers and “knew about everyone from Kansas.” 

“We had a lot of things in common,” Edwards said. “He really wasn’t a big talker. What I liked about him was that he showed by example. He was probably like Gale — no-nonsense player. He was low-keyed and you could talk to him. He treated everyone fairly. I felt he had a big heart.”

Edwards doesn’t have too much time to think about the past. He keeps an active lifestyle working at Allied Signal, spending time with his daughter, Mia, and playing golf. As for the future, he does have one major goal he’d like to accomplish.

“I’d like to get down to a six or seven handicap,” Edwards said.

A Closer Look at Emmett Edwards

Years At KU: 1970-1974 (played on the freshman team in 1970 and redshirted in ‘71)

Career notables: All-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974...A 1974 Sporting News first-team All-American...Third-leading receiver in KU history...Member of the 1973 Liberty Bowl squad... Named to the all-time KU team.

Family: Edwards, who is divorced, has three children — Emmett IV, 29, Micheala, 23, and Mia, 13.

Education: B.S.E in social studies education, 1975.

Since Leaving KU: Edwards played two years in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. Waived by the Bills in 1977, Edwards moved back to his native Kansas City. He taught middle school in the Kansas City school district for five years until 1983, when he changed careers and began working at Allied Signal in Olathe.

Currently: Edwards is production control specialist at Allied Signal, and also owns some rental property in Lee's Summit.

Hobbies: Avid weekend golfer (12 to 15 handicap).

Favorite KU Memories: The run to the Liberty Bowl in 1973, when KU beat Iowa State, Colorado and Missouri in three of its final five games...Winning the 440-yard relay in the NCAA track championship in 1974...Meeting such great players as John Hadl, John Riggins and Gale Sayers.

On The Jayhawks Today: “Hopefully, he (coach Terry Allen) can get his program to a level where he wants it and what the fans of Kansas are used to. I think they have a good nucleus of young players.”