JETS NAME HERMAN EDWARDS AS 13^TH FULL-TIME HEAD COACH

The New York Jets today named Herman Edwards, assistant head coach and defensive backfield coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as their 13^th full-time head coach. The announcement by Jets owner Woody Johnson and new general manager Terry Bradway comes only 19 days after Al Groh resigned to take the head football coaching job at the University of Virginia and only 9 days after Bill Parcells resigned as director of football operations.

Johnson and Bradway moved quickly to get Edwards, one of the bright young coaching minds in the NFL, on board, choosing him after interviewing three other highly regarded candidates this week—Jets ass’t. head coach/running backs coach Maurice Carthon, Jacksonville defensive coordinator Dom Capers and Buffalo defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

Edwards, who worked with Bradway at the Kansas City Chiefs from 1990-1995 when he was a defensive backfield coach (1992-94) and a scout (1990-91 and ‘95), spent the past five seasons at Tampa Bay as assistant head coach and secondary coach. This past season he helped the Buccaneers tie for 1^st place in the NFC and 3^rd in the NFL for most interceptions with 25. And the 41 take-aways by the Bucs’ defense were the 2^nd most in the NFC and the 4^th most in the NFL.

Edwards, who was a standout defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons—9 as a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles under Dick Vermiel (135 starts), is credited with developing two Pro Bowl players in the Tampa Bay secondary—3 year Pro Bowl FS John Lynch (1998-2000) and CB Donnie Abraham (2000).

During his NFL career, Edwards recorded 33 interceptions in the regular season for the Eagles, the second most in club history. He added five more in the post season. He was a starter for Vermeil’s Super Bowl XV team, which lost to the Raiders, and earned 2^nd team all-NFC honors in 1980 and 1982.

Edwards gained national fame in Philadelphia’s "Miracle Win in the Meadowlands" on Nov. 19, 1978. The New York Giants were trying to run out the clock, but QB Joe Pisarcik’s fumble was recovered by Edwards and returned 26 yards for a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 19-17 victory.

Edwards completed his active NFL career in 1986 playing four games for the Los Angles Rams and three games for the Atlanta Falcons under head coach Dan Henning. He announced his retirement from the NFL on Nov. 11, 1986.

A native of Monmouth, NJ who moved to Seaside, CA where he was raised and starred at Monterey High School, Edwards played his college football at the University of California where he was all-Pac 8 (prior to the Pac 10) in 1972 and 1974 and his senior year at San Diego State.

He set a Golden Bears’ record with four interceptions in one game.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at San Jose State and coached the secondary from 1987-89.

Edwards and his wife, Lia, have one son Marcus, who is 20. Edwards is very active in community affairs conducting the Herman Edwards Football Camp for underprivileged children in the Monterey Peninsula for the past five years and hosts the Herman Edwards Charity Golf Classic which benefits the Boys and Girls Club in Seaside, CA. He has also implemented a youth enrichment program in Tampa Bay with the Bucs’ secondary players called "Focus and Finish," in which they encourage high school athletes to excel in academics, athletics and as citizens in their communities through volunteering, tutoring and mentoring.