July 12, 1976 -- Defensive lineman Earl Edwards played for four National Football League teams in his career. It's safe to say he's best remembered right here in Western New York.
Edwards started his career with Edmonton of the Canadian League. Impressively, the San Francisco 49ers traded 11 players to the CFL team to get him.
Edwards came to Buffalo from San Francisco in a trade after he spent four years with the 49ers, and was a good-sized part of the Bills teams that had some good years in the mid-1970's. He played with the team in 1973 through 1975, when the Bills were above .500 in each season. What's more, his enthusiasm made him a popular teammate and a good quote for the media. Edwards had some good moments when he was a guest on Lou Saban's Sunday night television show, which no Bills' fan of that era dared miss because of the chance that Saban might say something outspoken.
Alas, good moments don't last forever, and Edwards was traded to the Cleveland Browns for draft choices on this date. He spent three seasons there before playing one last season with Green Bay. Edwards retired after the 1979 campaign.
--- Budd Bailey
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