Robert Edwards (gridiron football)

Robert Lee Edwards, III (born October 2, 1974) is a former NFL and CFL running back. Originally drafted by the New England Patriots, he also played for the Miami Dolphins and Montreal Alouettes before ending his career with the Toronto Argonauts.

For other people named Robert Edwards, see Robert Edwards (disambiguation).

Robert Edwards
Washington County High School
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1974-10-02) October 2, 1974
Tennille, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:Sandersville (GA) Washington County
College:Georgia
NFL Draft:1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:311
Rushing yards:1,222
Rushing touchdowns:10
Receptions:53
Receiving yards:457
Receiving touchdowns:4
Career CFL statistics
Rushing attempts:576
Rushing yards:3,022
Rushing touchdowns:25
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

He is the older brother of retired Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Terrence Edwards.

Robert currently serves as the head coach of the Washington County Golden Hawks in Sandersville, Georgia.[1]

College career

Edwards was a featured running back at the University of Georgia. He was originally recruited to play cornerback, where he was a starter through his sophomore year. After that season, he was converted to running back. As a running back he set a Bulldog record for scoring five touchdowns in one game against the University of South Carolina.

Throughout his college career, Edwards was injury-prone. He never finished a full season in college due to knee problems, and missed an entire year due to a broken hand which allowed him to earn an injury redshirt for that season.

Statistics
Rushing Receiving Defense
YEAR ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD TCK SCKS PD INT
1993000.000000.000———0
1994000.000000.000———4
1995453257.265624221.0451————
19961848094.4329231998.7341————
199716512005.58012232149.3271————
Totals39423345.28027484559.5453———4

Professional football career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
5 ft 11+1⁄2 in
(1.82 m)		 218 lb
(99 kg)		 31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)

National Football League

Edwards was chosen by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft.[2] He rushed for 1,115 yards for the Patriots in the 1998 National Football League season, before blowing out his knee at an NFL rookie flag football game in Hawaii during Pro Bowl week. Edwards barely escaped the injury without having his leg amputated below the knee, and he was told he might not walk again.[3]

Edwards would not play football again until 2002, when he made his return with the Miami Dolphins. In his first game back, against the Detroit Lions, Edwards caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score. He spent the rest of the season sharing third-down back duties with fellow running back Travis Minor. After the season, he lost his spot on the roster to Leonard Henry. Edwards was awarded the Pro Football Writers Association Halas Award for his comeback from his serious injury. Edwards holds the record for consecutive games with a touchdown to start a career. He had one rushing touchdown in each of the first six games and an additional receiving touchdown in Game 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs in his 1998 rookie season with the Patriots.[4]

Statistics
Rushing Receiving
YEAR TEAM ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD
1998NE2911,1153.8539353319.5463
2002MIA201075.4191181267.0141
Totals—3111,2223.95310534578.6464

Canadian Football League

Edwards joined the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2005, and was the team's leading rusher, running for over 1,000 yards each of the first two seasons he played in Montreal. In addition to being the Montreal Alouettes leading rusher, Edwards was twice named a CFL Eastern Division All-Star (2005, 2006). On August 18, 2007, Edwards was released by the Alouettes. He was picked up by the Toronto Argonauts a day later.

On January 31, 2008, Edwards was released by the Argonauts.

Statistics
Rushing Receiving
YEAR TEAM ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD
2005MTL1871,1996.4378212029.6240
2006MTL2391,1374.8—14272117.8263
2007TOR1235964.8—23103.370
2007MTL27722.7—14389.5130
Totals—5763,0225.2—25554618.4263

Coaching career

In 2009, Edwards returned to football as the head coach at Arlington Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia.

On April 19, 2012, Edwards was named as the new head football coach of the Greene County (Georgia) Tigers. He succeeds Charlie Winslett, who is currently ranked seventh on Georgia's All-Time Winningest High School Football coaches list.[5]

On January 30, 2018, he was named the new Head football coach at Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

In February 2022, Edwards was named head coach at his alma mater, Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia.[6]

References
  1. Holcomb, Todd (February 4, 2022). "Former Georgia football star Robert Edwards returns home to coach Washington County". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. Zurkowsky, Herb (November 10, 2005). "Edwards takes care of his blockers". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  4. "Robert Edwards 1998 Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  5. "Former UGA and NFL RB Edwards named Greene Co. head football coach". Athens Banner-Herald. April 19, 2012.
  6. on, Jennifer Tatum (February 19, 2022). "Meet & Greet with Coach Robert Edwards". Washington County High School. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
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