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Turk Edwards
Turk Edwards
No. 17     
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1907-09-28)September 28, 1907
Place of birth: Douglas County, Washington
Date of death: January 12, 1973(1973-01-12) (aged 65)
Place of death: Seattle, Washington
High School: Clarkston High School
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College: Washington State
Debuted in 1932 for the Boston Braves
Last played in 1940 for the Washington Redskins
Career history
 As player:
 As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 1940
Games played     86
Touchdowns     2
Head coaching record     16-18-1
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Albert Glen "Turk" Edwards (September 28, 1907 – January 12, 1973) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played his entire career for, and eventually became the head coach of, the Washington Redskins. Edwards was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

College career[]

Edwards attended and played college football at Washington State University from 1929 to 1931. While there, he helped lead the Cougars to a 9-0 record during the 1930 season and gained an invitation to the 1931 Rose Bowl.[1] Edwards, along with Mel Hein, became the first All-Americans selected from Washington State.[1] He was a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity while at Washington State University.

Professional career[]

After finishing college, Edwards received offers from three NFL franchises, the recently created Boston Braves, the New York Giants, and the Portsmouth Spartans.[2] He chose the highest bid –- $1,500 for 10 games from the Braves, a team that would later become the Boston Redskins and then move to Washington D.C. in 1937.[3]

Edwards played for the Braves/Redskins for nine seasons, winning All-NFL honors from major media outlets every year of his career except his last one.[3]

Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to an injury that did not even occur in a game. Edwards was injured at a coin-tossing ceremony prior to a game against the New York Giants in 1940. After calling the coin toss and shaking hands with former teammate Mel Hein (the Giants' captain), Edwards attempted to pivot around to head back to his sideline. However, his cleats caught in the grass and his oft-injured knee gave way, ending his season and ultimately his career.[3]

Coaching career[]

Edwards continued with the Redskins as an assistant coach from 1941 to 1945 and then as the head coach from 1946 to 1948. Then after 17 straight seasons with the Redskins, Edwards retired from professional football.[3]

References[]

External links[]


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