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.”

Former walk-on Steven Johnson made his mark at KU as a tackling machine

With Les Miles injecting new passion as the KU football coach and the Jayhawks having their first spring game on April 13 under the former national championship coach at LSU, I thought I would include this KU football feature I wrote on Steven Johnson in 2011.

This article was one of the most inspirational stories I’ve ever written on a KU football player. Johnson came to KU as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, and ended up leading the Big 12 in tackles his senior year (120) and was among the nation’s leaders.

After going undrafted, Johnson again overcame adversity and played six years in the NFL while competing in the Super Bowl in 2014 for the Denver Broncos. This hard-hitting linebacker was named a first-team All-Pro selection by Pro Football Focus that year with 39 tackles.

In all, Johnson played in 74 games (seven starts) for his career while recording 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 0.5 sacks. He played for Denver, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Here is that story on Johnson in the November 2011 issue of Kansas City Sports & Fitness.

By David Garfield 

It’s past midnight this October evening as Steven Johnson hobbles into Mrkonic Auditorium in Lawrence for postgame interviews after his Kansas Jayhawks fell to the Oklahoma Sooners, 47-17. Johnson is beat up physically, but mentally sharp and ready to watch film this late hour after first answering questions from reporters.

The senior linebacker will see on film that he made 13 tackles, including one for loss with also one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and his first interception of his collegiate career. Johnson will also see the grit, determination and passion that KU fans have come to expect from this 6-1, 237-pound native of Media, Pa.

If there was one play that epitomized Johnson’s life and Jayhawk career, that was his interception in the fourth quarter with about eight minutes remaining and OU holding a commanding 40-17 lead.

Oklahoma appeared ready to tack on another touchdown and blow this game even more open on KU’s 32-yard-line when quarterback Landry Jones dropped back to pass on second down. But there was Johnson, who had been all over the field this evening, running hard and diving to his right and picking off the short pass from one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

“I’m not going to give up,” Johnson said. “I got a lot of pride, and I’m not going to let anybody run all over me. I don’t care how tired I am. My coaches were trying to take me out and give me a break because they know it’s a long season. I’m like, ‘No, no, don’t take  me out.’ I’m out here and I’m going.”

Johnson, who led the Big 12 in tackles at press time in late October and tied for No. 16 nationally with 10.14 stops per game, has never given up since he started playing football at age 5. Always the underdog, he didn’t make the varsity at Strath Haven High School until his senior year, when he led the state in tackles in 2005 with 123 stops.

However, Johnson came on the scene too late to attract college recruiters and wound up attending Wyoming Seminary College Prep School. Then adversity struck again after he tore his ACL and LCL in the fifth game.

Suddenly, Johnson’s dreams of attending college appeared dashed. Some coaches told him he’d never play again, much less compete at a Division I school. But Johnson didn’t listen and jumped at the chance to attend Kansas as a preferred walk-on.

“God is the reason I am here because schools didn’t want me,” Johnson said. “Everybody but Kansas.”

Johnson toiled in anonymity his freshman and sophomore seasons while wondering at one point if he could continue playing at KU and make ends meet without a scholarship. 

But Johnson kept working, kept a strong faith and prayed. Then one day at practice just before fall classes started his sophomore year, then-coach Mark Mangino pulled Johnson to the side and told him he had earned a scholarship.

He became overwhelmed with emotion while fighting back the tears in one of the greatest moments of his life.

“I was happy,” Johnson recalled. “I didn’t want to cry on the field because it was practice, but there were tears inside. I worked so hard for so long and for all the hard work to pay off and to finally see the rewards of it, it was just great.”

Johnson, who saw limited action with 10 total tackles his freshman and sophomore years, reaped even more rewards when Turner Gill was hired as head coach after the 2009 season. Johnson impressed Gill from day one and earned a starting nod, where he had a breakout year last season with a team-high 96 tackles.

Johnson credits Gill for reviving his career.

“By him just believing in me was a great deal,” Johnson said, “and I’ll forever thank him for that.”

As good as he was last year, Johnson is even better this season. He is on pace to record over 120 tackles in 2011, the most by a Jayhawk in a season since Nick Reid in 2003. Johnson has posted double-figure tackles in five of seven games while tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (5.0).

“He’s improved in a lot of ways,” Gill said. “He’s gotten better physically. He understands the game better. Coach (Vantz) Singletary and coach (Vic) Shealy have done a great job talking to him and teaching him about what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. (Johnson) has really done a fantastic job; he’s a leader. I hope he gets recognized by the conference as one of the top linebackers.”

The co-captain’s coaches and teammates have great admiration and respect for him — as a young man and as an athlete.

“He’s a great player,” junior safety Bradley McDougald said. “It’s probably going to be a story made about him. He’s one of those guys that you love to root about, just to be faced with the situation as a walk-on and come in and be determined that you’re going to work (and) have nobody that can possibly tell you no. Not only do you get a scholarship but you actually continue to fulfill your dreams and you play up to your level and starting at middle linebacker, that’s awesome.”

As the heart and soul of this Jayhawk team, Johnson feels a special sense of responsibility to be a leader and motivate his teammates. He did just that with a stern message to his defense heading into the Oklahoma game on Oct. 15 after KU had dropped three straight, including allowing 66 points at Georgia Tech and 70 points at Oklahoma State.

“It’s an embarrassment for your family and all the people that came miles and miles to see you play,” Johnson said. “I got in each and every single person’s face. I just told people what they need to improve at, and we went out in practice and really amped it up and started working.”

Despite falling to No. 3 Oklahoma by 30 points, KU’s defense played physical, made stops in the red zone and forced three turnovers. While the Jayhawks (2-5) took a step backwards the following week in a 59-21 loss to K-State, Johnson continues to believe in the team, Gill, and himself.

He’s on a mission to turn the season around and also fulfill his preseason goal of leading the nation in tackles.

“I’ve always wanted to be the best linebacker I could be and just being able to help any team I was on to win championships,” Johnson said. “That was something instilled in me from my parents. I just continue to push myself to be the best I can be.”

Johnson could do it no other way after overcoming great adversity in life to now thriving at KU and on the brink of an NFL career.

“Those challenges made me the person I am today,” he said. “One day if I have kids, I’ll be able to tell them that perseverance is everything, just keep going. When you really go through something and see what happens at the end of it, you can really have hope. ‘Hey, I’ve been through this before, it’s nothing, just keep fighting.’ It ultimately helps you become a better person and better athlete.

 “I would never take back anything that happened to me,” he added. “Some people may take the straight road to Division I, but I had to take the back road. It all worked out well.”

Johnson smiles.

“I thank God every day,” he said. “I’m truly blessed to just be out there playing football.”

KU football bids farewell to seniors at Memorial Stadium on Saturday against K-State

While this is a Kansas basketball blog, I'd be remiss if I didn't include this article on the KU football seniors as they conclude their careers on Nov. 28 at Memorial Stadium against in-state rival K-State. The four-year seniors have gone just 7-40 during their careers and won just two Big 12 games. However, their heart has always prevailed while undergoing extreme adversity and have laid the foundation for future success in KU football under coach David Beaty and his energetic staff.

Here is my tribute to the 2015 KU senior class.

They came from different parts of the country with different backgrounds and different beliefs.

But as the 21 Kansas seniors wrap up their careers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. against rival K-State in the Sunflower Showdown, these Jayhawks have been united through adversity and endless heartbreak while becoming warriors who never quit through the hard times and always held their heads high with dignity and hope.

The seniors, who will be honored before the game, will run onto Kivisto Field one last time. And when the game is over, they’ll hurry back to the locker room one final time.

For first-year KU coach David Beaty, the seniors are all champions in his book with all heart.

“They have meant the world to us, and they really have,” Beaty said Tuesday. “And they have done everything we've asked them to do. The first thing we asked them to do was just to give us everything they got. In return, we made sure that they understood that they matter, that they cared.

“Our guys have experienced a couple of coaching changes, particularly these seniors. When we came in here, we made the commitment to these guys to make them understand that they deserve to have the absolute best experience that they possibly could have. And if they would trust us and buy into it, that they would have more fun than they've had playing football. And that the byproduct would be success as you walk down the stage, walk off the stage as a graduate, and we'll never let you be forgotten.

“We made that commitment to those guys, and, man, they have been off the chart good,” Beaty continued. “They have been phenomenal and they have been really good with helping us set our culture with this young team. Without them, we would not be where we are right now. I know to some that doesn't look like it's where some people would absolutely want it. It's not necessarily where I would want it either from a results standpoint.

“But I'll tell you this: Those guys have done so much to help us move this program forward from where it was when we first got here. I just can't take my hat off to them more than I do. They've been phenomenal. Yesterday we go out to practice and those boys are bringing energy and it's fun to have those guys around.

“I wish I had them all for four more years, every one of them.”

For the four-year seniors, they’ve gone just 7-40 and won just two Big 12 games. While there’s been improvement and more energy under this new coaching staff, the Jayhawks haven’t won a game in 11 tries.

This could all change Saturday at Memorial Stadium against their bitter rival.

“I feel like going out with this win would wash away everything,” senior receiver Tre’ Parmalee said.

Some like Parmalee have been at Mount Oread for four years. Others like defensive end Ben Goodman have been here five. Then there’s gritty and gutty running back Taylor Cox who’s persevered through six seasons at Kansas.

Cox knows his college career will end Saturday, and he’s hoping for a huge day for the Jayhawks.

“I’m approaching this week as the biggest game of my life,” he said, “and I think it’s going to be a good one.”

On Tuesday, Cox reflected about how he wants his fellow seniors to be remembered.

“As guys that never gave up on his program, that loved KU and would do whatever it takes for this program to be successful in the future,” he said. “I think it’s our job to kind of lay the foundation of hard hard work and dedication and instill it in these young guys.”

The seniors, indeed, never gave up. Offensive coordinator Rob Likens can attest to that when asked about the group’s legacy.

“They did not let go of the rope,” Likens said. “We’ve been preaching that ever since we started getting that skid of we hadn’t won a game. You didn’t really kind of see it until midway through the season. ‘OK, I can see how the season is going to go.’ We challenged them at that point. ‘OK guys, you’re not going to go to a bowl, what’s going to be your deal? Are you going to be guys that quit or do you want to be known for a team that did not let go?’ They all in unison stood up and said we want to be known as a team that doesn’t let go of the rope.”

The seniors stood up to the challenge and almost upset Texas Tech on Oct. 17 in Lawrence. They stood up to the challenge again and were a scoring drive away from shocking No. 15 TCU on the road Nov. 14. While they faltered both times, they believed in their coaches, they believed in their teammates, they believed in their dreams.

Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen, who served as interim head coach last season, said the seniors have been quite special through overcoming adversity.

“They’ve been great,” Bowen said. “They’ve been through a lot of things, and not just through this season. You take what those young men have been able to endure in terms of where the program’s been and what the kids have gone through, for those guys to stick with it, to never quit, never give up, never lose their focus of things. Their college careers have been different than the norm and they fought through it the whole time. To this day, they continue to rally the young kids and let them know what it means to build a foundation for the program and they’re all 100 percent in. It’s really pretty remarkable what they’ve been able to accomplish inside of the program.”

Bowen wants these seniors to go out in style with a defining win Saturday.

“You take guys who went through what they went through, in terms of losses, especially losses to Kansas State and how they have gone. I think it would send them out with a great feeling, something they could always look back on. I think it would mean a lot to them,” Bowen said.

It would certainly mean a great deal to a player like Cox, who’s battled through an injury-plagued career just to return for his sixth year because he loved the program so much.

He’s finally been healthy this season, and he can’t wait to win KU’s first game this season and the first victory over KSU since 2008.

“It would be tremendous, man,” Cox said with a smile. “I feel like we put in so much work, and obviously we haven’t come out with the results we wanted. No matter what the record is, you always want to beat K-State. Taking no credit away from them, they’re a hard-nosed team, they always fight to the end, well-coached, but we want to beat them, so it would be a tremendous deal, especially for our seniors if we can get this win. I think we’ll be able to.

“It means a lot,” he added. “It’s the Governor’s Cup. It’s a battle for the (state) of Kansas, it means so much to the community and we just want to go out and perform for the city of Lawrence.”

Cox has been dreaming of entering the locker room after the game and being handed the Governor’s Cup. For Cox, that would be a priceless and magical feeling.

“I’d been envisioning that ever since coach Beaty was talking about it yesterday,” he said. “It would be a major deal for our program to have it for a full year, to have bragging rights, to be the winner and champion of Kansas.”

You can bet Cox and the other 20 seniors will leave it all on the field Saturday. No regrets, just what they hope are wonderful memories for a group united forever as loyal Jayhawks.

“It’s going to be something that will be the game they’ll remember for the rest of their lives,” Likens said.