Catching up with Adam Edwards

Adam Edwards is certainly familiar with a change in direction.

Arriving in Stillwater in 1995 as a wide receiver, Edwards was moved to the defensive side of the ball where he eventually flourished as a cornerback and free safety, earning all-Big 12 honors. He signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys in 2000 before suffering an injury, which led to the end of his playing career in 2002.

Following his retirement, Edwards changed paths again, this time off the field. He put his degree in business and health administration to use and he now currently manages multiple nonprofits in healthcare and the sports world.

"I'm just trying to help people in the medical business get access to drugs for life-saving conditions, whether it be cancer research, multiple myeloma, anti-infectives and things of that nature," Edwards said. "When I'm not doing that I am trying to help athletes transition from their active career on the field into franchising. That's been going well as I am certified from the NFL to do that. I also got to work with Oklahoma State University in the diversity and inclusion division as well. I'm blessed to do a lot of different things in the nonprofit world and give back as much as I can, while being a father and help people save lives at the same time."

Giving back to the community has been the focal point of Edwards' life since leaving football in 2002, but the lessons he took with him from his playing career have guided him on his journey.

"It prepared me to maximize my performance in life, in general," Edwards said. "I learned the five P's at Oklahoma State: proper preparation prevents poor performance. In anything you do in life you need to take that same intensity, focus and preparation into what you're doing professionally off the field. There are a lot of life lessons I learned growing up not only from Oklahoma State University, but also my playing career that I try to transcend off the field into my personal life with my family and my businesses."

Living in Piedmont with his wife of 15 years, Sarah, and their daughters, Edwards is extremely proud of his time at Oklahoma State and encourages former Cowboys to return to Stillwater to reconnect with old teammates and other alumni who helped mold the OSU program into what it is today.

"I personally think we all should be excited to come back because whether you're from the 60s, 70s, 90s or 2000s, that is a foundation that started with you as a player," Edwards said. "You get a chance to revisit with your teammates you haven't seen in maybe 15 to 30 years and get a chance to introduce your family to them. I think it's important for us to be a part of the legacy because we're a part of that whenever we played at Oklahoma State."

A Cowboy at heart, Edwards said his fondest memories of his career at Oklahoma State were beating the Sooners three times in 1995, 1997 and 1998. To this day, he shares those memories with former Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson and other Sooners while working together to support the community.

"We will come together with particularly Paul Thompson and have some Bedlam nonprofits whether it's raising money for the homeless, cancer research, HIV/AIDS, we will always try to connect with our OU brothermen. We want them to be a part of that and we feel more like a family than rivals, but it's always good to poke fun and have those memories that we had back then."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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