McElwain pitches in former CSU player
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jim McElwain may be coaching the Florida Gators now, but relationships he forged in three seasons at Colorado State remain strong.
His loyalty to them, also.
Former CSU defensive lineman Eli Edwards lost his wife two weekends ago. Isa Edwards was in Australia receiving treatment for lupus when she died June 8. She left behind her husband and young daughter Ellyse. In the nearly two weeks since, the two have remained in New Zealand because they don't have the money to get back to the United States.
That's why Edwards set up a GoFundMe account seeking donations from family and friends in hopes of scraping together enough money to bring himself and Ellyse back home and hold a memorial service for Isa.
As of Wednesday, the account had brought in more than $20,000, with a big chunk coming from McElwain, who recruited Edwards to Colorado State five years ago.
A donation of $5,000 was made in the name of MacFam LLC, a private company owned by McElwain, who left CSU in December to take the Gators post, and his wife Karen, according to the GoFundMe site titled "Bring Isa Home."
Columnist Matt L. Stephens wrote about the Edwards plight in Tuesday's editions of The Coloradoan.
