Story Photos
 Photo Daily News file photo Ted Edwards, shown roaming the gridiron for the Kelso Hilanders in 2002, will begin fall camp as Brown University's first-string middle linebacker. |
From Kelso to the Ivy League
Wednesday, July 7, 2004 8:20 AM PDT
By Rick S. Alvord
Printable version
E-mail this articleIt's a long way from an Ivy League university to the stick-picking swing shift in downtown Longview.
About 3,000 miles, to be exact.
Might as well be 3 million.
There aren't many Brown University students roaming the stately Providence, R.I., campus wearing dusty, sweat-stained Carharts with their J. Crew turtlenecks.
Ted Edwards doesn't consider himself a stuffy Ivy Leaguer, even if he did recently post a respectable 3.0 GPA during his freshman year at Brown. The former Kelso High School football standout, who will enter fall camp at Brown next month as the first-string middle linebacker, is still wired to his small-town roots.
And that's where the sweaty Carharts come in.
"They make fun of me back there for being from a hick town, but it's all in good fun," said Edwards, 19, who is home now working a summer job as a "stick picker" at the Pacific Fibre Products wood processing mill on Longview's Industrial Way.
"They ask me if there are still Indians running around out here where I live. And my coach can't believe I'm working at a mill," he added. "I know where I came from. I'm home now. But working this job makes me appreciate what I have."
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Edwards is accustomed to working hard in the classroom and on the football field. He was a perfect student at Kelso High ---- that's 4.0, if you're scoring at home ---- and was an all-state first-team linebacker for the Hilanders, in addition to playing fullback on offense.
But working at a mill?
"I see these guys who work there, some of them who've made it their careers and have worked there a long time, and I really respect what they do," said Edwards, who is majoring in anthropology at Brown. "They work hard ---- really hard. I'm working 10 hours a day, five days a week, and the money is good. But that's for the summer. I wouldn't want to do this the rest of my life."
As a stick picker, Edwards is part of a crew that must stand for several hours straight and pick sticks off a conveyor belt. He also cleans the belt and drives equipment, when needed, and climbs into broken-down machinery.
Edwards calls the experience "humbling." Kind of like his first year on an Ivy League campus.
His most difficult classes at Brown ---- established in 1764 ---- were French and biology. And the others weren't exactly basket weaving.
"In French, not a word of English was spoken ---- ever. We were taught totally in French," he said. "I was very happy with how I did in school. For finals, I studied eight hours a day, seven days a week. I had lots of difficult classes.
"Hey, at least I didn't flunk out."
Not even close. That wouldn't be Edwards' style.
The 2003 Kelso graduate has been working toward his goal of playing college football since he was barely old enough to tie his own cleats.
His freshman season went as well as could be expected. Although he didn't see much field time at linebacker, he did perform well for the Bears' special teams.
"With me, I want to play all the time. That's just the way I am," he said. "But playing special teams taught me a lot. I had some nagging injuries (a minor concussion and a separated shoulder) that put me back a little bit, but things went pretty well."
It went extremely well for Edwards during Brown's spring game in May, when he intercepted a pass and made nine tackles in only one half. That effort elevated him to No. 1 on the middle linebacker depth chart.
"I'll be No. 1 until somebody beats me out when camp starts (in August)," he said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can to be the starter."
And part of that work involves being disciplined enough to sweat out 10-hour mill shifts that end at 3 a.m.
Edwards sets his alarm for 11 a.m. and heads directly to the gym, where he lifts weights and trains from noon to 2:30 p.m. Then it's back home to prepare for his stick-picking shift.
"I have weekends off, but I'm usually too tired to do anything but catch up on my sleep," he said. "The money is good for a summer job. And I'm having fun."
It's just one of those equations, one that just might confound the average Ivy League professor.
You can take the kid out of Kelso, but you can't take Kelso out of the kid.
"I still wear my Gridiron Grump T-shirt and my four War of the Border T-shirts (from his days as a prep basketball star) and my Hilander T-shirts, and they tease me about it," Edwards said. "I'm still a Kelso boy, through and through, and that will never change."
Past Month's Most Commented Stories