Sports Brief: A Helping Hand

Before he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013, it was hard to imagine former Furman football standout Allen Edwards ’92 being anything other than the powerful physical presence he was on the field.

At 6 feet 1 and 240 pounds, he was, as a true freshman, the Paladins’ starting nose guard in their 17-12 victory over Georgia Southern in the 1988 national championship game. Edwards so dominated the Eagles’ All-American center that it’s still a vivid memory for Furman head football coach Clay Hendrix all these years later.

Allen Edwards ’91 lettered four times as nose guard at Furman and helped lead the Paladins to the 1988 I-AA national championship.

“Allen was incredible in that game,” says Hendrix, who was in his first year as an assistant coach with the Paladins. “The center had trouble even getting the snaps back to the quarterback. I wasn’t surprised. Our offensive line had to face Allen in practice every day and we couldn’t block him, either.”

But the stroke was something Edwards couldn’t overpower. After losing mobility on his right side as well as his ability to speak, he was confined to a wheelchair and would need full-time care in a nursing facility. But he hasn’t had to go through it alone. Once his Furman teammates learned what had happened, they banded together to help.

That included members of the 1988 championship team like coach Bobby Johnson, All-American linebacker Jeff Blankenship ’90, wide receiver Don Clardy ’91, running back Chad O’Rear ’92, and offensive linemen Brian Anderson ’92 and Tom LeGrand ’94.

They raised money to move Edwards from Charleston to a facility in Greenville. Somebody visited every day. They took him to doctor’s appointments, to physical therapy sessions, to Furman football and basketball games. Whenever Edwards’ situation required even more comprehensive care, they raised more money.

“People have given hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for Allen’s care,” says LeGrand, who would become Edwards’ legal guardian. “Everything from $50 to $30,000. There was a need and people have stepped up.”

LeGrand also wants people to remember the player who was a three-time All-Southern Conference first-team selection and the league’s 1991 Defensive Player of the Year, to recall the greatness of the former All-American who spent eight years as an assistant coach with the Paladins and was named to the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.

“I blocked Allen every day in practice as a freshman, and I lost every single time,” says LeGrand, who was not exactly fragile at 6 feet 4 and 230 pounds. “He threw me around like a rag doll. He was an amazing football player, the best defensive player in Furman history in my opinion.”

At age 53, Edwards’ condition has continued to deteriorate over the years and the challenges have become greater still. But, LeGrand says, Edwards can count on his Furman teammates helping as long as it is needed.

“There’s a camaraderie among the Furman football players that doesn’t go away,” says LeGrand. “There’s a level of respect for the guys who played a game that’s hard and can be brutal, and Allen was one of the best. It’s been a long, tough journey for him these last few years, and we’ve tried our best to make that journey as easy as possible.”