For the first time, Universal Audenried Charter High School has a varsity football, and its coach Roy-Al Edwards has had a friendship with Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni that now spans nearly two decades, writes Alex Coffey for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
When he first started looking at colleges, Edwards envisioned going to a powerhouse school.
However, he ultimately ended up going to Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
That decision was heavily influenced by Sirianni, whom he first met in January 2006 and was the wide receivers coach at IUP.
“Before I stepped on campus, I was already home,” Edwards said, “because of how [Sirianni] made me feel.”
Over two seasons together at IUP, Edwards and Sirianni built a strong bond that went beyond just a player and his position coach.
Edwards credits Sirianni for helping him learn his core values: accountability, connection, competition, fundamentals, and football IQ.
While the two of them have each had several stops since then, they’ve remained in contact with each other.
At Audenried Charter, Edwards is taking over a new football program at a school that has previously been named one of the most dangerous in Philadelphia.
Through many of the same principles he learned from Sirianni, he is helping guide his players and reshape the narrative surrounding the school.
Read more about Roy-Al Edwards’ journey and the role Nick Sirianni played in it in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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