Former Downers Grove North Coach Shares In Rams' Super Bowl Joy

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — David Edwards has always been rather stoic on and off the football field. But the last time the former Downers Grove star’s high school coach saw him in person after a big win, the excitement of what lied ahead was unmistakable.

So as Edwards was part of a Los Angeles Rams offensive line that protected quarterback Matthew Stafford in the closing minutes of Sunday’s Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Sofi Stadium, former Downers Grove football coach John Wander was as nervous as he has ever been.

After all, it’s not every day that you are watching a former player on football’s biggest stage as he closes in on a championship in only his third NFL season and time quickly ticking away.

“There’s only been 56 of them (Super Bowls) and for him to make it in his third year, that, for most people is a dream come true,” Wander told Patch on Tuesday. “And to watch him, wow. I just kept praying that he didn’t get a holding (call), jump off-sides or something of that nature.”

Edwards, playing alongside former Hinsdale Central star and starting center Brian Allen protected Stafford in what proved to be the game-winning drive after the Rams played from behind for much of the second half. But after the Rams defense made it key stop in the fourth quarter, Stafford connected with Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp a short touchdown pass with 1:25 remaining to cap a 15-play, 79-yard drive that provided the Rams with a 23-20 victory.

After the victory, Stafford told reporters that the final drive was one he will never forget and one that combined several key moments built around key players. While Kupp played a key role in the drive, the entire Rams offensive unit celebrated the fact that everyone worked together to put the Rams in position to win.

Yet, for Wander, he knew that one false start or holding penalty up front could easily shift the momentum of the biggest moments of the Rams’ championship season.

“You know what? Not much recognition goes to (offensive linemen) and the only real recognition (they get) is when they do something like that,” he said Tuesday. “And that’s negative recognition.

He added: “So that was the pressure for me as his former coaching hoping he wasn’t the one who got called for a hold or a false start.”

As the Rams celebrated their first Super Bowl title in 22 years, Wander relished the moment in his own way. While in previous years he may have been at a Super Bowl party with friends, he wanted to watch Sunday’s game alone and focus on Edwards.

The former Downers Grove North quarterback transitioned from signal caller to all-Big Ten lineman at Wisconsin before being drafted by the Rams in the fifth round. Since then, Wander has watched Edwards move into a starting role with the Rams and help lead Los Angeles to a Super Bowl title, knocking off the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady along the way.

Wander last saw Edwards in person after the NFC Championship game in Tampa and could tell that the stage was about to shift in a major way.

“When they beat Brady down in Tampa, you could see it in him, ‘Oh my God’ one more game,” Wander said. “He’s pretty stoic but was starting to come out then.

“After that last game, he was just elated…but he always knows I’m always going to critique a couple of plays just in fun and he said, ‘Yeah, I can tell you what happened on that (play). He already knows what I’m going to do.”

After Sunday's victory, Edwards put out a celebratory message on Twitter that only an offensive lineman who spent the year in the trenches could appreciate, writing "After 21 football games I can confirm that my fingers hurt, #worldchamp.

Even though Edwards can now add Super Bowl champion to his football resume’, Wander doesn’t expect it will change the person the former quarterback has always been. Edwards has a younger sister and brother at Downers Grove North and when he is back in town, Edwards routinely stops by and lifts with current players.

Downers Grove North athletic director Denise Kavanaugh said that plans to celebrate the school’s connection to the Rams Super Bowl championship are still in the works and dependent on Edwards’ schedule. Although there is a Super Bowl parade in Los Angeles in coming soon, Wander knows eventually that Edwards will return to where his career began as a way of continuing to give back to his hometown.

“That just shows you how special that young man is,” Wander told Patch. “A lot of people, once they get their claim to fame, it’s out of sight, out of mind. Well, I believe his family upbringing, his dedication to himself and to Downers Grove and now to Los Angeles is what makes David special.”