When most Buffalo Bills fans come to find out that their starting quarterback didn’t throw a spiral until his freshman year of high school, they often question the source. “No way” or “Impossible” is the typical response. It may be hard to believe, but it’s the truth.

For Trent Edwards, a love for the gridiron began with a visit from his little league baseball coach when he was in the ninth grade. Trent had seen his former coach Scott Downs at the Los Gatos High School “Sports Night” a few weeks prior. That evening, he considered signing up for the football team but didn’t go through with it. A few of his friends had signed up for the team but didn’t seem very enthused about it, so Trent opted to sign up for the two sports he had already been competing in, basketball and volleyball.

Downs, now the coach of the school’s Soph/Frosh football team, was hoping to coach Edwards again. He visited the family home on a recruiting mission. “He was my little league baseball coach growing up, so we had a prior relationship,” Trent says. “He believed there were many parallels between football and baseball and that I could become a great football player. Because he felt that I was a good pitcher as a youngster, he believed I could be a quarterback. I ended up signing up that night and told him I would give it a try.”

5 years old and younger

Growing up in Los Gatos (CA), Trent’s first interactions with sport came through the Edwards family structure. Athletics were a big part of the family’s daily life. Trent’s parents, Andy and Fran, played and coached in adult softball leagues. His sisters, Shelby and Megan, were active as well, competing in various sports. “Fran and I played co-ed softball and she even played when she was pregnant with Shelby,” Andy Edwards says. “I played in a men’s league. We played sports and always mingled with fellow ball players. We would go out to the field and bring bases, balls and a playpen. The playpen was an integral part of softball. I’m coaching on third base, Shelby’s on my back. The kids were always at our games. They saw how much we enjoyed playing the game. It became kind of an unwritten rule that you went to each others games.”

Trent’s early sporting activities took place on the sidelines of his parents’ adult league softball games. Watching from the sidelines, Trent would pair up with the other kids watching their parents. “Another dad would be there playing in our game and he would bring a son along,” Andy Edwards recalls. “So the kids get together, pick up a ball and start playing. It was kind of natural.”

There were also sports interactions at home. “I remember kicking the ball around in the front yard with my dad or going down to the park with him to do so,” Trent says. “But it was more so me asking him to go play, not necessarily my mom and dad pulling me out of school and telling me I need to practice an hour or two each day and do my homework. A lot of it had to do with me wanting to be like my sisters too. I saw them competing in sports and that really paved the way for me. I wanted to do what they were doing because I thought so highly of my older sisters.”

For the Edwards children, their father’s allegiance to his favorite sports teams was impacting as well. “I was an avid Dodgers and Kansas University fan,” Andy says. “ My passion for the Dodgers came across real early for the kids. My allegiances to pro and college sports were a big part of what our family did.”

Ages 6 through 9

Between the ages of 6 and 9 years old, Trent began asking his parents to sign up for various sports. “From 1st grade through middle school it was soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and then baseball in the spring and summer,” Trent recalls.

The first sport Trent signed up for was soccer, where he played in the local AYSO league with friends. There was no apprehension from his parents to start competing in organized leagues. “Our thoughts were: “Go out there and play and have fun,” Andy Edwards says. “I really think the fun part for Trent was that it was always a game. He always kept in that perspective and I think that’s why it was fun.”

Fran Edwards believes the family was fortunate to live in a community with strong sports leagues. “We also knew many of the coaches because they were parents of the other kids,” she says. “Andy and I would also try to get involved as coaches and do what we could to show our support. I know some kids aren’t always into that, but Trent was always fine with it.”

During these years, Trent also began competing in baseball and basketball. Andy Edwards recalls Trent excelling in each of the sports at an early age. “It was one of those things where someone would say, “Trent is a fantastic athlete’. It was good to hear, but I would say, “Yeah, but he’s six. Or, yeah, he’s only 10.”

Both Fran and Andy always kept Trent’s athletic abilities in perspective. Yes, he was good at sports, but they never had visions of him becoming a professional athlete. Trent’s participation in sports was simply a fun outlet that never took precedence over academics or family occasions.

Reflecting back on his first few years of organized sports, Trent fondly remembers his parents attending all of his games to offer their full support. “They let me be me,” he says. “They never forced me to play any sport. Sports were always enjoyable. They were never in the stands yelling at the ref or my coaches. They weren’t calling my coaches or teachers to ask why I wasn’t getting the grades or the right playing time. They were there at every game from start to finish. After games, it wasn’t ‘why didn’t you make that throw.’ It was, how are you doing in life? They were never the overbearing parents you can hear in the crowd. There were plenty of parents in the stands that nobody wanted to sit next to and that did not include my parents.”

Remarkably, the future NFL quarterback never picked up a football during this period of his youth. “Pop Warner football wasn’t that big in our area,” Trent says. “My sisters had played volleyball and basketball in high school and there were really no other people close to me that had encouraged me to try football. Because of that I had my heart set on those two sports.”

Ages 10 to 13

When Trent entered middle school, he had to begin making choices regarding various sports due to conflicting seasons. It was at this point, 6th grade, when Trent stopped playing soccer since it fell during the same season as basketball, his favorite sport. It was during middle school that Trent also began playing organized volleyball. “He must have attended hundreds of volleyball matches through the years since both his sisters played school and club volleyball,” Andy Edwards recalls. “So volleyball became a natural fit.” Trent also continued to play baseball and tried tennis as well. “My parents encouraged me to try whatever sport interested me and it was the same way for my sisters,” Trent says. “The biggest thing with them was that if I committed to something they wanted me to do the best I could for the entire season. I wasn’t going to miss a practice, I was going to be on time and I don’t even remember ever calling in sick. If I had a conflicting practice, I still would try to make both even if it were for a short amount of time. My parents were really big on committing to something and sticking with it. That’s something that has always stuck with me.”

During these years, Trent remained an exceptional student striving for top grades. “It helps having a mother that’s a schoolteacher,” Andy Edwards jokes. “He knew how important his schoolwork was.”
For Trent, school was another avenue for competition. “My parents always told me to compete and do everything I can,” Trent says. “They didn’t want me to sell myself short. They told me that there would be people in my class or on the field that were going to be working hard to compete and that I needed to match that level. I really wanted to always do well in school. I never wanted to have a conversation with one of my peers and hear that he or she received a better grade than I did. I really think that translated into me doing well academically and as an athlete as well.”

Age 14 and Up

In his first year of high school, Trent played on the freshmen basketball, volleyball and football teams. During his sophomore year, Trent flourished as a quarterback. He split time on the varsity with another teammate and when the season ended, he was slated as the team’s starting signal caller for his junior season. The job came with a catch – Trent’s football coaches were hoping he could devote time to the team’s spring football training program. However, Trent had already made a prior commitment to the varsity volleyball team. His love for the gridiron would lead him to make a very difficult decision: he would not play volleyball so he could focus on football during the spring. His decision disappointed his parents who felt he was wavering on his commitment to the school’s volleyball coach. “There have been very few times in my life where both of my parents were upset with me and that was one of those moments,” Trent recalls. His parents told Trent that he needed to handle the situation like an adult. While they didn’t support his decision to renege on a commitment, they encouraged him to inform his volleyball coach face to face with his reasoning.

“It wasn’t something he was excited about doing, but it was important and he did it,” Fran recalls. “He explained why football made more sense to him. In the end it was a good decision. He probably wasn’t going to be able to give volleyball the commitment he needed. The coach actually let him off kind of easy.”

Trent went on to start every game at quarterback for Los Gatos during his junior season. He had a great year and attracted attention from top colleges. During the winter of his junior year, he and his parents made a recruiting visit to UCLA. After attending a men’s basketball game, then UCLA head football coach Bob Toledo invited the Edwards family to his office. After a few minutes of banter, Toledo offered Trent a full athletic scholarship to UCLA. Trent and his parents were caught off-guard. “I had gone from not even playing the sport two or three years prior and now the head coach at UCLA wanted me to come and play quarterback for him,” Trent says. “I remember leaving that meeting and both my parents’ eyes were wider. We had a great high school season, but my parents were fully prepared to pay for me to go to college, it’s not like I was on this quest for a scholarship.”

In the end, Stanford won out, edging UCLA and Michigan for Trent’s services. After earning his degree in the spring of 2007, Trent was drafted in the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. He quickly emerged as the team’s franchise quarterback as a rookie, starting 12 games. His leadership, poise and strong arm have ranked him among the league’s young elite quarterbacks. Not bad for a guy who may have never thrown a spiral between the hash marks had it not been for an old little league coach who saw something in him. Trent is extremely grateful for the help he received along the way and hopes his love affair with the game of football inspires other young athletes to try new sports. “I encourage any high school student to do the same thing,” Trent says. “If there is a sport out there that remotely interest you, give it a shot. If you like it, you can play it throughout high school. If you don’t like it, at least you can say you tried it and found out on your own. I could have said no thanks when my coach came over and I probably would have never touched a football for the rest of my life.”