This week we heard from Ronald Rodo Robinson and he said this about his former youth football coach, Brantley Edwards….
Coach Edwards(RIP) was my mite football coach and he made an indelible impression on me and my life as well. The moments I spent on the field with him were cherished and can be vividly recalled as well as the times my brother Reg and JR spent at his home on weekends with his family. His method to challenging you to expel your intestinal fortitude on the field was uncanny. He had an presence that transcended football and a laugh that could shake a room. Plus we won city championships two out of my three years and we were runner-up to Warnersville in that one, as Freddie Barnes scored lone touchdown in fourth quarter. Consistent coaching.
Brantley Edwards is no longer with us, RIP, but we did catch up with his son, who has coached successful football teams himself over the years, while working with the Page Pirates varsity squad, and the football teams at Kiser Middle School, plus others…
Here are our questions for Addison Edwards, as we look back at his dad, Brantley Edwards, and his days as a Greensboro Youth Football Coach…..
Questions for the son of Brantley Edwards, Addison Edwards…
1)What made Coach Brantley Edwards such a successful coach?
Addison Edwards:Dad and Jerry Stanley both believed strongly in fundamentals. They spent hours on blocking and tackling. Kids that came out of Lewis Center were known to be hitters. Dad would ride around the Lewis neighborhoods and look for kids to recruit in the summer. After he started having success the kids would come to him. One thing a lot of folks may not know was he never refused to sign a release if a kid wanted to go play somewhere else.
2)What was his sports background like, before he became a coach?
AE:Dad didn’t have an extensive background in football but he studied the game a lot. We went to a lot of clinics together. A lot like Frank Starling at Page. They both became very good at what they did.
3)As his son, how tough was he on you, as opposed to how he treated your teammates?
AE:Ask anybody who played for their dad and I think most would agree it wasn’t always easy. Practice never ends.
He always said, and I believed him, that he got more energy and enjoyment out of being around the kids than they could ever get from him.
4)What is the most special thing you learned from your dad, as a coach??? Was their something special or unique that he taught you, that you will never forget?
AE:The biggest thing I think I learned from him is that it has to be fun. Dad was a legendary prankster. I believe the stories of the Gorilla costume have been documented on your website before.
5)If you could talk to your dad now, what would you tell him about all of the attention he has garnered, even though he has gone home???
AE:Honestly Andy, if I could talk to Dad today I think the first thing he would want to know is how the heck is Danny Manning still the coach at his beloved Wake Forest.
If you think about so many football players that came through HS in the 80s and went on to play college football….many can thank Coach Edwards for their foundation at Lewis Center. Coach Edwards was the first one to tell me I should be playing QB….he actually worked with me 1×1 so many days over the years. I think of him the beginning of every football season to this day.
He and my father were best friends and I miss him still to this day. And yes…….I know the Gorilla suit story very well, Addison!
I still remember the last game Coach Brantley coached for Lewis Center. We sat on the split rail fence in parking lot of Lewis and he going over the game and all the things we didn’t do right and needed to be cleaned up. After about an hour of debating on whether the offensive line was blocking or the running backs were running the right holes, he looked at me and said,” I wish the season was starting tomorrow. Brantley had a love for the game and he truly loved being around the Kids. It was always going to be about the kids.
Mr. Pop Wright Baseball Bluford Blues/ Home Federal. Mr. Jake Smith Football Windsor Center. Championship name now. Mr. Dellwyn Johnson every sport say no more. Skills Camps. Mr. Foster every sport. Coach Johnson Grimsley High Baseball/ Basketball. All of these great men are highly respected for contributions to the city of Greensboro but especially on the Eastside of the city.
If you can, get us a contact number and even better yet, an Email address for some of these Eastside coaches….
I fear that some have passed on, but if we have some of them that are still around, if you can, send me their E-mail address and I will try and get in contact with them…
We contacted quite a few coaches last week and heard back from a lot of them, but have yet to hear back from:
1)Elliot Avent, baseball coach at N.C. State
2)Jeff Smouse, former football coach at Grimsley HS and
3)Roy Turner, former coach at Southeast Guilford and Dudley HS….
We are waiting to hear back from these men, and hope to contact numbers/the Email address, for some of the Eastside coaches….