Troy Edwards

Troy Edwards (born April 7, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, became one of the most prolific receivers in college football history, earned All-American honors and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions of the NFL, and the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League.

Early years
Edwards was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Huntington High School in Shreveport, where he played high school football.

College career
Edwards attended Louisiana Tech University, where he played for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team from 1995 to 1998. As a senior in 1998, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best college wide receiver in America at the conclusion of the 1998 season.

In the 1998 season opener versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Edwards had 21 catches for 405 yards&mdash;the most ever by a college wide receiver (a record since broken). His twenty-seven touchdown catches during his 1998 senior year remains the NCAA Division I-A season record. He held the NCAA career record for touchdown receptions with fifty until it was broken by the Rice Owls' Jarett Dillard. His 140 career receptions is the third most in Division I-A history, and his 1,996 receiving yards gained during his senior season remains the second most in Division I-A history.

Professional career
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Edwards in the first round (thirteenth pick overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft, and he played for the Steelers from 1999 to 2001, followed by a single season for the St. Louis Rams in 2002. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003 and 2004, and the Detroit Lions in 2005. In seven NFL seasons, he played in ninety-two games, started twenty-two of them, caught 203 passes for 2,404 yards and eleven touchdowns, and also compiled 1,560 punt return yards.

He finished his professional football career with the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League in 2007.