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HERMAN EDWARDS
HEAD COACH, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
A new chapter in the illustrious 46-year history of the Kansas City Chiefs franchise commenced on January 9, 2006 when Herm Edwards was appointed as the 10th head coach in team annals by Chiefs President Carl Peterson.
“We selected Herm Edwards because he is without question one of the most qualified head football coaches in the NFL today,” Peterson commented. “Herm knows what the National Football League is all about. He coaches all aspects of the game and he coaches them well. He is a man of integrity, family and great passion for the game of football.”
Whether it is his faith, his family or his football team, Edwards exudes passion in all areas of his life. That energetic and enthusiastic approach best defines how he is undertaking his latest challenge in the National Football League as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after serving a five-year stint (2001-05) in the same capacity with the N.Y. Jets.
“It’s no ones right to play or coach in the National Football League, its a privilege, an honor,” Edwards said upon his introduction in Kansas City. “I will carry that tradition here. I have carried that all my life. I know what the National Football League is about, it’s about commitment. It’s the best game in the world and its played by the best players in the world. Talent alone does not win games, teams win games. Teams with commitment.”
Entering his sixth season as an NFL head coach in 2006 and his 27th overall season in the league as either a player, a scout, an assistant coach or a head coach, Edwards diverse background in pro football provides him with a unique perspective on how to build and lead a team. During his previous 26 seasons in the NFL - a distinguished tenure that has included stints with four different franchises – Edwards teams have reached the playoffs on 16 different occasions.
His initial NFL coaching experience came with the Chiefs at training camp in ‘89 as the recipient of the clubs Minority Coaching Fellowship. Since the inception of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship program in ‘87, over 1,100 coaches have participated. Edwards is the first graduate of the Minority Coaching Fellowship to go on to become the head coach of the franchise for which he served his fellowship. Appropriately, both of those coaching opportunities with the Chiefs were extended by Peterson, the man who signed Edwards to his initial NFL contract as a rookie free agent cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles in ‘77 and whose association with Edwards stretches back to the early 70’s when Peterson attempted to recruit Edwards to attend UCLA.
Throughout his career, Edwards has used his position in the league to serve as a positive role model and has been involved in numerous charitable efforts and philanthropic endeavors along with his wife, Lia. The many noteworthy causes supported by the Edwards include the Diabetes Research Institute, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In 2003, Edwards was appointed as a charter member of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which serves as a conduit between NFL minority coaches and league executives. He was also named to the Positive Coaching Alliances National Advisory Committee in 2003, an organization that promotes coaching in a positive manner. In 2002, he was named the Big Brother of the Year by the Catholic Big Brothers For Boys and Girls in New York. That same year, Edwards was named the recipient of the New York Sport Award as the areas Coach of the Year.
Throughout the years, Edwards has participated in golf tournaments and football camps that have benefited youths and worthy causes across the country. He began his hands-on participation in supporting charitable causes as a player, founding the Herm Edwards Youth Foundation in 85. For 10 years, the Youth Foundation hosted the Herm Edwards Charity Golf Classic that raised funds for the Boys & Girls Club in Seaside, California. Wanting to make an even more direct impact on the lives of underprivileged children on the Monterey Peninsula in California through his foundation, Edwards solicited the support of his friends and family, as well as players and coaches throughout the league to conduct The Herm Edwards Football Camp, which is entering its 11th season in 2006. The camp is free to all participants and in recent years, upwards of 700 children have taken advantage of this opportunity to hone their skills and learn the game from some of the NFLs finest teachers.
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