Dovonte Edwards facts for kids
| Elon Phoenix | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive coordinator | ||||||||
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| Born: | October 17, 1982 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 181 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Chapel Hill (NC) | ||||||||
| College: | NC State | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2005 | ||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |||||||||
Dovonte Edwards (born October 17, 1982) is an American who used to play professional football. He was a cornerback, a defensive player who tries to stop passes. He started his professional journey with the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. Before that, he played college football at North Carolina State.
Edwards also played for other teams like the New York Giants, Detroit Lions, and Toronto Argonauts. Later, he joined the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League (UFL). Today, he is a defensive coordinator for the Elon football team. He also held this role at Morehead State.
Contents
Dovonte Edwards' Football Journey
Early Life and High School Achievements
Dovonte Edwards grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He went to Chapel Hill High School. During his senior year, he was amazing at football. He scored 14 touchdowns from catching passes. He also scored 2 touchdowns from punt returns and 1 from a kickoff return. This means he was great at running with the ball after the other team kicked it. Besides football, he was also a talented basketball player. He was chosen for the all-conference team three times in basketball.
College Career at NC State
Edwards played football for four years at NC State. He played different positions, including cornerback and wide receiver. He also returned punts, which is a special teams role. In 2004, he was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. As a senior, he started every game as a cornerback. He led his team with three interceptions that year. An interception is when a defensive player catches a pass meant for an offensive player. He also played basketball during his first two years of college.
Playing in the NFL
Starting with the Minnesota Vikings
Dovonte Edwards first became well-known during a game on Monday Night Football. He made an amazing play by intercepting a pass from famous quarterback Brett Favre. Edwards ran the ball back 51 yards for a touchdown! This play helped the Minnesota Vikings team.
Challenges and New Teams
In 2006, Edwards' second season with the Vikings ended early. He got a serious arm injury during a preseason game. This happened while he was competing for a special defensive spot called "nickelback."
In 2007, Edwards tried to make a comeback. He was hoping to earn a spot on the team again. However, the Vikings released him. The New York Giants quickly signed him, but they released him just six days later. On October 17, the Detroit Lions signed him. He played in some games for the Lions. He even made a career-high 10 tackles in one game against the Dallas Cowboys. A tackle is when a defensive player stops an offensive player with the ball.
In 2008, the Detroit Lions released Edwards before the season started. He did not play football that year.
Playing in Canada and Other Leagues
Toronto Argonauts and Omaha Nighthawks
In 2009, Dovonte Edwards signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was their main kick returner that season. Kick returners are players who catch kicks from the other team and try to run them back for yardage.
Due to a leg injury, Edwards could not play in 2010. The Argonauts released him in June 2010. He re-signed with the Argonauts in May 2011 but was released again a month later. He also played for the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League (UFL) in 2011 and 2012.
Becoming a Coach
After his playing career, Dovonte Edwards became a football coach. He started as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Kentucky Christian in 2014. The next year, he became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator there.
He then worked as a defensive analyst for Furman in 2016. In 2017, he moved to Morehead State. There, he was a co-special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. By 2018, he became the defensive coordinator for Morehead State.
From 2019 to 2020, Edwards coached at North Carolina Central. He was their defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Since 2021, he has been coaching at Elon. He started as the defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach. Since 2022, he has been the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for Elon. This means he is in charge of the team's defense.
