Endeavors students pursue in high school and college can lead to opportunities they cannot foresee, said Brad Edwards ’89. That’s how he sees his career trajectory. Edwards visited Jackson Academy’s broadcasting class Wednesday while on tour for his recently released book, “Dynasty by the Numbers,” a historical perspective of the University of Alabama’s 13-year dominance in collegiate football.
An Alabama graduate, Edwards is known for his expertise as a statistician who could predict rankings. His statistical work led to broadcasting roles, such as working for ESPN and serving in internships with the Indianapolis Colts and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Edwards was with ESPN for 25 years.
Now touring to promote his self-published book, he shares insight into how working hard at something can lead to opportunities. “Work hard. Be humble. Be a good teammate. If you are on a team, you already know this,” he said to the class. “It is the same in the workforce.” Edwards believes the type of work you do and the kind of person you are in the workplace make a significant difference.
In his case, people watched his work when he did not even realize it, which led to career opportunities. “All of those things I ended up doing (such as hosting with ESPN and serving on the U.S. Olympic Committee) were because of all the things I did in college, putting the work into it and having people watching,” he said. “I got to do the things I did because of that.”
Years later, Edwards’ mom, Elizabeth Edwards, who taught at JA, shared an essay of his that she found from when he was a student at JA. Edwards wrote why he wanted to go to Alabama and then work for ESPN. He had forgotten about the piece and was surprised how his high school dream had become a reality. “If you do something to the best of your ability, it may turn into something you never dreamed you could do,” Edwards advised the students.
Now Edwards is once again applying what he learned in school but in a different way. He draws on academic courses to determine how to run his business and promote his book. He noted that all the hard work going into writing a book and self-publishing would be of no value if the writer did not do the job to promote and sell the book aggressively so that people could read the book.
Edwards conducted a book signing Saturday prior to the Alabama-Ole Miss game.
