Lorenzo Edwards - Every Play, Every Day
Saturday, November 20, 2010 | Football
By Emily Arthur, UF Communications
In Lorenzo Edwards' life, football is a family affair. It's a matter of pride and joy and brings a beaming glow of happiness. For Edwards, it's what introduced him to the sport as a child. Growing up, he watched his uncle play football at East Tennessee State University. That's what got him interested in the sport and has led him to where he is now as a senior linebacker for the University of Florida.
“I always went to his games and I just fell in love with it,” Edwards said. “Wherever he played, my grandparents went and never missed a game. I was always right there next to them.”
Years later at The Swamp, that legacy still continues. Throughout the four years of his college career, Edwards' family has been at every game cheering him on.
“It's fun having them there and knowing that I have a support system every game,” he said. “In my four years at UF, they've come to every one of my games, home and away.”
From the months of September through December, the weekends for the Edwards' family consist of watching their youngest son's football games in Orlando on Friday nights, then leaving for Gainesville or any one of the various SEC stadiums to watch their oldest son play on Saturdays.
“They just enjoy seeing their sons out there playing and having fun,” Edwards said.
Edwards also has a one-year-old daughter named Alexa, making family an even more extraordinary value in his life.
“I take so much pride in my family and she is very special to me,” Edwards stated. “I'm very fortunate and I realize that I'm very thankful.”
The sociology major characterizes himself as a “people person” and said that he loves to interact with people. Earning his degree in a field that's foundation is working with people, his outgoing personality is an attribute when being around his teammates and establishing a leadership role.
“There are a lot of different people on the team and a lot of different backgrounds, I just be myself and be a leader and try to motivate others,” he said. “What I've learned from sociology helps with that.”
Along with being a leader on the team, Edwards is also a leader in the community and served as a team captain in the 2010 Gator Charity Challenge.
“It was an excellent experience,” the special teams standout noted. “The charity event is such a good cause and to be the leader of the group and raise awareness for them was awesome.”
This year, the Gator Charity Challenge consisted of events including sled pushes, dead lifts and an obstacle course. Members of UF's squad were divided up into different teams and competed against each other for their charities. Edwards was the captain of the Stop Children's Cancer charity.
“Each team had a child representative,” Edwards said. “Ours had just developed a form of rare cancer and was out there watching us and we actually won so he was there to see it. He's doing excellent now though and it was so nice to have him there - you could see all over his face he was so happy. We had a connection that was so special, I'll never forget it.”
Along with teammate Justin Trattou, Edwards was one of Florida's football representatives on the 2008-09 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has proven to be a beneficial attribute to his team.
“The only thing that I go by is to give it everything that I have every time I'm out there and to take advantage of every opportunity,” he said. “I never take a play off.”
Edwards will graduate in May 2011 with his bachelor's degree in sociology and has worked hard for that accomplishment. In addition to his success in school, the past four years of achievements for the Gator football program have been astounding and an amazing opportunity for a player to experience. From being part of a national championship in 2008 to being a motivating member to the team, Edwards looks back at his time playing for the Gators with a great sense of dignity, knowing that throughout his four years in Orange and Blue he contributed everything he had to his team.
“My motto is 'every play, every day,' Edwards exclaimed. “That means going as hard as I can every play and every day that I'm playing football, giving it everything I have and only good things will come out of that.”
