Former Texas A&M men’s basketball guard David Edwards passed away in his home state of New York on Monday, an A&M official confirmed to the Dallas Morning News.
News of Edwards’ passing was first reported by former teammate Charles ‘Chuck’ Henderson, indicating in a Facebook post that Edwards had died from COVID-19.
“Never in a million years would I have even imagined my backcourt teammate would go before his time,” Henderson wrote in his post. “I just got the news that Dave Edwards passed away. For those that have been praying for him, he is now in a better place. … Dave was one of the fiercest competitors and best point guards that I’ve ever met. Nearly unstoppable. Learned a how to become tough as nails competing against him everyday and shaking off adversity.”
After starting his collegiate career at the University of Georgetown, Edwards transferred to A&M following his freshman year. After sitting out the 1990 season, Edwards was a key contributor for the Aggies for three seasons, averaging 13.5 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game during his time at A&M.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Texas A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork reflected on the loss of Edwards.
“Anytime Aggies lose a member of the family, it hurts,” Bjork said. “Hearing from his friends this was coronavirus-related really hits close to home.”
Edwards finished his career at A&M as the school’s record holder in both assists and steals, with 602 and 228 respectively. In his 1993-1994 senior campaign, which ended with a berth by A&M in the NIT, Edwards led the Southwest Conference in assists with 265, which was third in the nation that season behind Marquette’s Tony Miller and California’s Jason Kidd. Edward’s 265 assists remains the Aggie single-season record.
After the news of his death, Tulsa head basketball coach Frank Haith, who was an assistant coach at Texas A&M from 1992-1995, posted his condolences about Edwards’ passing on Twitter.
“David was a fierce competitor and a loyal teammate,” Haith said in his tweet. “This situation is very real and impacts so many that we love. Continue to do your part as we fight this awful pandemic. We will beat this, but we need everyone’s help. RIP David”