Most NFL fans know Herm Edwards as an analyst for ESPN and a former head coach in both college and professional football.
What those same fans may not know is that Edwards was an undrafted player who spent a decade in the league with three teams.
He also made one of the most memorable plays in NFL history while a cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1978.
AATBirds Top 100 #Eagles
76. CB Herm Edwards (1977-85)
• NFC Champion
• 142 G | 38 Int | 2 Def TD
• Never Missed a Game in his PHI Career#FlyEaglesFly | @HermEdwards pic.twitter.com/iLvK9OBHmc— All About The Birds (@AATBirds) June 18, 2024
Following his playing career, Edwards got into coaching and 15 years later became the head coach of the New York Jets, and later, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Edwards also spent five years as the head coach at Arizona State University before returning to ESPN.
This is the story of Herm Edwards.
Army Brat
Herman “Herm” Montmartre Edwards was born on April 27, 1954, in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
Happy 69th Birthday to Herm Edwards!#FlyEaglesFly (1977–1985)#DirtyBirds (1986)#RamsHouse (1986)
🏈 Games played = 142
🏈 Games started = 135🏈 INT = 33
🏈 Forced fumbles = 2
🏈 Fumble recoveries = 6
🏈 Defensive TD = 2#NFL #Eagles #Falcons #Rams #HappyBirthday pic.twitter.com/tvJQgJG7pF— JVAN (@VanderlansJim) April 27, 2023
His father, Herman Sr., was a master sergeant in the Army, meaning that Herman Jr. knew discipline right from the start.
Edwards took that discipline to heart when the family relocated to Seaside, California.
Although he was just five at the time, Herman Jr. began playing football in the neighborhood.
He then came home from school one day to announce his intention for the future.
“To become a professional was his dream,” said Martha Edwards, his mom, in 2013. “From little on, he was so determined. That’s all he ever thought about.”
Herm was ready to strap on pads in elementary school, but his mom had other ideas.
“He came home one day and said, ‘Mom, you have to sign these papers, so I can play on the football team,” recalled Martha Edwards. “I said, ‘What! I’m not going to sign. I don’t want you to play that kind of game.’”
Eventually, Herm was able to convince his mother to sign the necessary papers so he could join the Monterey High School Toreadors (“Dores”).
A Corner By Default
Head coach Dan Albert was an aficionado of the ground game.
His Dores teams ran the ball nearly every down and dared defenses to stop them.
Herm Edwards, a Monterey High alumnus and a @MontereyHerald columnist, will present his old school with a commemorative football Feb. 1.
— Tom Wright (@WrightScribe) January 15, 2016
Edwards played receiver and defensive back, but the number of opportunities he had to catch passes was both slim and none.
On the flip side, his ball-hawk abilities on defense made up for it.
“Back when Dan Albert was head coach, if you threw five passes in a game, you were lucky,” Edwards said. “I actually had more interceptions than receptions as a wide receiver.”
Since the chances to showcase his receiving skills were few, Edwards honed his skills as a cornerback to attract college coaches.
The idea worked, and state schools such as UCLA and Cal recruited him.
Wanting to spread his wings a little, Edwards chose to play for new head coach Mike White and the Cal Golden Bears.
Four Picks in One Game
Cal had a decent roster in 1972 that included two future NFL quarterbacks, Vince Ferragamo and Steve Bartkowski.
Edwards got zero playing time as a redshirt freshman, and the Golden Bears won only three games.
When his freshman year concluded, Edwards left and returned home to work in the local shipyards and attend Monterey Peninsula College to focus on academics.
Then, before the 1974 academic year, Edwards returned to Cal.
Herm Edwards delivers an inspiring speech during a #CalFootball team meeting. #GoBears #CampLife #calfbtrainingcamp pic.twitter.com/MzcIVOvIGv
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) August 14, 2014
After losing by four points to the Florida Gators in Week 1, the Golden Bears won seven of their next nine contests.
During a tilt against Washington State on November 16, Edwards harassed Cougars’ QB Charlie Peck.
The Golden Bears outlasted WSU 37-33 thanks to Edwards hauling in four of Peck’s passes, including a pick-six early in the game.
His record for thefts in a single game remains a Cal record.
Transfer to SDSU
Despite setting a school record and establishing himself as a top-tier DB at Cal (including second-team All-Pac-8), Edwards left the program following the ‘74 season.
He then enrolled at San Diego State University in 1975.
“Left Cal twice, actually, I was a double transfer, left Cal right before my senior year, went to San Diego State,” said Edwards.
Head coach Claude Gilbert initially thought his new corner wasn’t all he was cracked up to be.
When the team lined up during spring drills for the 40-yard dash, Edwards ran a pedestrian 4.8 seconds, much to the consternation of Gilbert.
“We’re thinking, there’s something wrong; that can’t be right. So we have him run it again,” Gilbert said in 2018. “Another 4.8. So we tried it one more time. He runs a 4.9. Anyway, we started spring practice, and Herman couldn’t run fast, but, boy, could he play.”
Co-MIP
The Aztecs’ defense was tough as nails, led by Edwards, who talked a big game, yet backed it up on the field.
“I don’t know if I was cocky,” he said in 2018. “I was confident. … I grew up a fan of Muhammad Ali, and I will leave it at that. My father was a Master Sergeant, and he didn’t like Muhammad Ali.”
SDSU ended the year 8-3, including three consecutive losses to end the season.
Herm Edwards
San Diego State, Defensive Back 1976 pic.twitter.com/SEQvybgy6d— College Football 24/7 (@CFB247) May 23, 2021
In 1976, Edwards’ final year of eligibility, the Aztecs were one of the best teams in the nation, sporting a 10-1 record.
The only loss came at the hands of BYU, who left San Diego with an 8-0 win.
When the season ended, Edwards was chosen as the team’s co-Most Inspirational Player.
Undrafted Free Agent
Although the Aztecs and Edwards performed well in 1976, no teams selected him in the 1977 NFL Draft.
He signed a free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles and second-year coach Dick Vermeil.
Initially, Edwards looked like a long shot since the team picked no less than three defensive backs in the draft.
“My whole goal at that point was to make sure that every day in practice, I made a play,” Edwards said. “Some kind of play where the coach would go, ‘Hmmm. That guy’s making another play.'”
Vermeil and company must have liked the rookie enough, as he started every game during Philly’s 5-9 season.
Herm Edwards (Eagles 46) having none of this Vikings quick screen attempt pic.twitter.com/pmmfu0bIAf
— Kevin Cole (@KevinCole___) July 3, 2022
As a rookie, Edwards backed up his coach’s faith by intercepting six passes.
“I never went to knock a ball down. I always went to catch it. That was something that I always prided myself on as a player,” Edwards said.
An Act of God
Philly began the 1978 season with a 4-5 record before two straight wins put them at 6-5 in mid-November.
In Week 12, the Eagles traveled to New York to play the Giants with slim playoff hopes on the line.
Near the end of the fourth quarter, Philly was losing 17-12, but quarterback Ron Jaworski drove the offense downfield in an attempt to score the winning touchdown.
Instead, he found a member of the Giants’ secondary for an interception, and the Eagles’ postseason hopes nearly went dark.
#OTD in 1978, Herm Edwards turned a late fumble into a game-winning TD, sealing one of the most iconic finishes in NFL history.
The @Eagles beat the Giants in what became known as the Miracle at the Meadowlands. 🦅 pic.twitter.com/MU33wTt77U
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 19, 2024
New York had the ball with time running out, and Giants offensive coordinator Bob Gibson had QB Joe Pisarcik hand off to running back Larry Csonka.
Pisarcik just wanted to kneel out the clock, but knew better.
“I wanted to fall on the ball three times and just like, go home, let’s have a cold one, it’s Miller time,” Pisarcik told NFL Films. “The week or two prior to that, (Gibson) sent in a couple plays and I audibled one. At that point, I got somewhat reprimanded for changing that play.”
On what would be the final play of the contest, Pisarcik turned to hand off to Csonka, and the ball glanced off the running back’s hip.
The pigskin plummeted to the ground, then bounced on the hard astroturf.
“Miracle at the Meadowlands”
It just so happened that Edwards was in the vicinity and spied the ball as it hit the turf.
“I just reacted,” Edwards recalled in 2018. “I saw it bounce and nobody is blocking me as I’m coming off the edge and I’m going, ‘Get it on the first hop.’ They always teach you to fall on a fumble but that was my last thought. That didn’t even cross my mind. I can remember (Pisarcik) screaming out and somebody else was screaming, ‘Oh, no!’ Next thing I know, I picked it up and then I’m just running.”
Nearly everyone in the stadium, except Edwards, remained frozen and in complete shock at what happened next.
They played to win the game.
45 years ago today, Herm Edwards returned a late fumble for a TD to lead the @Eagles over the Giants in one of the most stunning finishes in NFL history.
It was the Miracle at the Meadowlands.
📹 @NFL pic.twitter.com/HuPXEdYWjs
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 19, 2023
With nobody in front of him, the corner raced 26 yards to the end zone and scored the go-ahead touchdown to pull out an improbable victory, 19-17, and put the Eagles at 7-5.
Merrill Reese, who was calling the game for Philly radio, voiced his thoughts live on air.
“And Pisarcik fumbles the football,” Reese said on the now-famous call. “It’s picked up by Herman Edwards … 15, 10, 5 … touchdown, Eagles! I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! I do not believe what has occurred here, ladies and gentlemen!”
Whether the G-Men believed it or not, they had lost a game they should have won, and Philly used the victory to end the season 9-7.
The franchise qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1960 before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card round (the first year in which the NFL expanded to a 10-team postseason and an extra playoff round).
Following the victory, Vermeil drew up a new alignment termed the “Victory Formation” so that such an ending would never happen to his team.
The formation has since been adopted by every organization in the NFL.
Playing for a Championship
Edwards was already liked by his teammates, but his head-up play to beat a division rival at the last second made him an icon.
“There was nobody on that team who didn’t like Herm Edwards because Herm Edwards was one of the most engaging people you would ever meet,” Reese said.
In 1979 and 1980, Edwards started all 16 games and pulled down three interceptions both years.
Coach Herm Edwards was with the Philadelphia Eagles 🦅back in the day, but his football philosophies were in line with the Raiders who they lost the Super Bowl to back in 1981. The Raiders back then never cared who liked them at all 🏴☠️☠️⛓️ pic.twitter.com/fjhwqrnO28
— JAYFORCE (@Jayforce) March 24, 2025
Philly in 1980 had a great roster that included Jaworski (coincidentally, Pisarcik was his backup), running back Wilbert Montgomery, and receiver Harold Carmichael on offense.
On defense, the Eagles boasted Edwards, linebacker Bill Bergey and lineman Carl “Big Daddy” Hairston.
An 11-1 start led to a 12-4 overall record as Edwards backstopped the best defense in the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings travelled to Pennsylvania for the divisional round and returned home empty-handed with a 31-16 loss.
Next up, Philly dispatched the mighty Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game, 20-7.
Super Bowl XV
For the first time since 1960, the Eagles were playing for a world title as they lined up to meet the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV.
Oakland had qualified for the postseason and played on the road in the divisional and championship rounds, winning both times.
Before the game, the Vegas oddsmakers installed Philly as three-point favorites.
15 days ‘til 2026 @NFL Draft at Pittsburgh, PA. And # of @SuperBowl XV won by #Raiders, 27-10 over #Eagles; Raiders QB @JimPlunkett16 MVP pic.twitter.com/C1ifERiWFQ
— Russell S. Baxter (@BaxFootballGuru) April 8, 2026
As good as they were, however, Edwards knew his team would be in for a fight against the silver and black.
“It is Thursday night, and I am in the hotel around 10 or 11 o’clock, and I am looking at the news, and the Raiders are like, they are out in Bourbon Street, and I am thinking, ‘huh, that’s interesting,’ we are all in our rooms, we are studying,” Edwards said. “And then on Friday night I am looking at the 11 o’clock news again, and the Raiders are on Bourbon Street again, and I looked at my roommate and said ‘we could be in trouble,’ they are kind of loose, and we were all uptight.”
Sure enough, at halftime, Oakland led 14-3 and won easily, 27-10.
“It is hard, it took a week for me, I was like dang, we lost the Super Bowl,” Edwards said.
The Eagles’ loss in the sport’s biggest game jaded Edwards, and he never watched a Super Bowl until he worked with ESPN.
Model of Consistency
Philly returned to the postseason in 1981, but lost to the Giants in the wild-card round.
The organization didn’t get back to the playoffs until 1988.
Edwards continued to hold down the fort and didn’t miss a start for the next five years.
Former #Eagles defensive back Herm Edwards on the Philly fanbase#FlyEaglesFly | @HermEdwards pic.twitter.com/NjYbcJljFS
— JAKIB Sports (@JAKIBSports) June 23, 2022
During that period, he picked off 14 passes and returned one for a touchdown in 1985.
Following the ‘85 season, Edwards became a free agent and signed with the LA Rams.
He played seven games in the City of Angels in 1986 before getting traded to the Atlanta Falcons to close out the season.
After playing for 10 years in the league, Edwards retired weeks after the ‘86 season concluded.
In his career, he started 135 out of 142 games, intercepted 33 passes for 98 yards and one pick-six, and added two forced fumbles, recovered six, and returned one for a score in 1978.
Assistant Coach
The transition between player and a second career was swift for Edwards.
By the time he retired from the NFL, the league had established its Minority Coaching Fellowship.
Edwards took part in the program and was the first graduate.
He then returned to California and joined Claude Gilbert’s (his former SDSU coach) staff at San Jose State as the defensive backs coach in 1987.
Gilbert left the program after the 1989 season, and Edwards joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a scout in 1990.
Two years later, he was promoted as the team’s defensive backs coach under head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Pac-12 Football Coaching Trees: Herm Edwards’ Top Mentors
– Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City Chiefs (1990–95)
– Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996–2000) pic.twitter.com/CudEy81ixT— SuperWest Sports (@SuperWestSports) July 17, 2018
From 1996 through 2000, Edwards was the defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay under Tony Dungy.
As a defensive backs coach for the Chiefs and Bucs, Edwards coached the likes of Dale Carter, Kevin Ross, Albert Lewis, Mark Collins, James Hasty, John Lynch, Martin Mayhew and Ronde Barber.
Additionally, Edwards coached in the AFC and NFC Championship games when he was on staff with the ‘93 Chiefs and ‘99 Bucs.
NFL Head Coach
Al Groh was the head coach of the New York Jets in 2000, succeeding Bill Parcells, who left following the 1999 season.
In early 2001, the head coaching position at the University of Virginia was available, and Groh left the Big Apple to return to his alma mater.
Edwards interviewed for the Jets job and was hired.
October 27, 2002: You Play To Win The Game🏈#DawgPound rally, score 18 unanswered points to beat Herm Edwards NY Jets 24-21
3 days later, Herm reflects upon game in EPIC clip here
Tim Couch: 32/48, 294 yds, 2 TDs#PlayToWin pic.twitter.com/5Md9BTnu6E
— Mr. Cleveland Sports (@MrCleveland_216) October 27, 2025
Leading a group of pros was new, but Edwards was ready for the task.
“But I’m always going to be me, not, ‘Oh, I’m the head coach of the New York Jets.’ I’m not going to change from the way I’ve always been,” he said.
Former teammates were excited to hear about Edwards getting hired to run an NFL club.
“Herm was always one of those guys who was the consummate team guy,” Ron Jaworski said. “He was an overachiever as a player. He was never the quickest, never the fastest, never the strongest, never the smartest. But no one was going to outwork him. He made himself a player. And I think he’s going to make himself a fine head coach.”
In five seasons with the Jets, Edwards went 39-41 and took the franchise to the playoffs three times, reaching the divisional round twice before losing.
His coach in Philly, Dick Vermeil, retired from coaching the Kansas City Chiefs after going 10-6 in 2005.
"Patrick Mahomes will tell you, 'I'm not playing good', he's not…but what this team can do when you boil it down and you get into the 4th quarter and the game is close, they know how to close games out"
– Coach Herm Edwards on the Kansas City Chiefs
🎧https://t.co/ANAKvyx8kV pic.twitter.com/33UjM7N4Np
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 17, 2024
Edwards was then hired to take his place, and the team responded with a 9-7 record and playoff appearance in 2006.
At the end of 2008, he was fired when KC mustered just six wins in two years.
His win-loss record as a head coach in the NFL was 54-74.
Analyst and College Coach
Having coached and played football since he could remember, Edwards took a break and joined ESPN as an analyst in 2009.
He talked about all things NFL for SportsCenter, NFL Live, Audibles, and ESPN Radio, sharing his “Hermisms” to the masses.
Hermisms: Ruminations on life and football by ASU coach Herm Edwards, Episode 27. https://t.co/NgIt6ZCZj2 pic.twitter.com/KTjJDnOWyw
— SunDevilSource.com (@SunDevilSource) September 10, 2021
During that time, Edwards was selected as the Walter Camp Foundation Man of the Year in 2012 for his longtime work in football.
Additionally, Edwards received ESPN’s Commentator of the Year Award in 2013, and he wrote a book, You Play to Win the Game – Leadership Lessons for Success On and Off the Field.
Just when it looked like he was riding off into the sunset, Edwards dove back into coaching in 2018 when he agreed to become the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils.
12/3/17 – As part of a series of "plans for a restructured #ASU football program," Arizona State officially hired former NY Jets HC and long-time ESPN personality, Herm Edwards, as the 24th coach in Sun Devil Football history. Todd Graham had been fired one week before. #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/lbuGamnccG
— Arizona Sports History (@AZSportsHistory) December 3, 2024
His five seasons at ASU brought three bowl appearances, but also a forfeiture of wins from 2021 and 2022 when the NCAA found that he had violated recruiting procedures and rules during the Covid pandemic.
ASU fired him after the third game of the 2022 season, and he returned to ESPN.
Edwards accepted a five-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA in 2024.
When he’s not on television, Edwards can be found on the golf course, with his wife Lia, and their three kids, or spending time in charity work.
References
https://www.ganggreennation.com
https://www.montereycountynow.com
https://www.montereycountynow.com
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com
https://www.pro-football-reference.com
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