TarHeelIllustrated.com - Sammy: Catching up with Junior Edge

June 19, 2012

Sammy Batten
Special to TarHeelIllustrated.com

When discussions focus on the best quarterbacks in North Carolina football history, names like Darian Durant, Chris Keldorf, Matt Kupec and, yes, T.J. Yates are the most likely to be considered.
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But although his statistics aren't as impressive as those record setters, Junior Edge's achievements under center at UNC in the early 1960s earned him a place in that elite group.
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Recruited to Chapel Hill by Coach Jim Tatum out of Fayetteville, N.C., Edge would start at safety and was second among Atlantic Coast Conference players in interceptions as a sophomore in 1961.
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The following year Edge took over as the starting quarterback while still playing safety. But it was the 1963 season in which his accomplishments at quarterback were among the best in UNC history.
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Among Edge's achievements that season were:
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---Out-dueled three All-American quarterbacks in helping the Tar Heels defeat Miami, Georgia and Air Force.
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---Was a catalyst for UNC's first winning season since 1958 and the most victories since 1948.
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---Helped the Tar Heels to a share of their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
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---Led UNC to a 35-0 rout of Air Force in the Gator Bowl that was the school's first-ever post-season victory.

---Was named All-ACC at quarterback.
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?Edge, now 71 and residing in his hometown of Fayetteville, is proud of those achievements. He still wears the ring the Tar Heels received for winning the Gator Bowl.

"I don't ever take it off,'' Edge said.

His All-ACC certificate and the 1964 Jim Tatum Memorial Award, given annually to a UNC athlete who has distinguished himself on and off the field, are both proudly displayed at his home.
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But Edge is quick to credit teammates when asked about his UNC exploits.
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"When you're throwing to an All-American split end like Bob Lacey and a guy who was fast as lightning like Ronnie Jackson, you're going to complete some passes,'' Edge said earlier this week. "Then we had Ken Willard in the backfield running the ball and a great offensive line in front of me. So I had a lot of good people surrounding me.''
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Lacey was a two-time All-ACC pick, while Willard earned that honor three times and went on to a successful NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. Edge's center that season was also a future NFL star at linebacker, Chris Hanburger.

Hanburger was actually born on Fort Bragg, which is adjacent to Edge's hometown. He's now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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"He weighed about 205 pounds and played center my junior and senior years,'' Edge said of Hanburger. "He was about as mean of a football player as I've ever seen. he just dominated (at linebacker) and killed quarterbacks.''
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A three-sport start at old Massey Hill High in Fayetteville, Edge was lured to UNC by Tatum. But Edge never played a down for the Hall of Fame coach. Tatum died in 1959 right before Edge's freshman season of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
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Edge was playing in a high school all-star game in Baton Rouge, La., when he heard the tragic news about Tatum.
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"I'll never forget it,'' Edge said. "When they announced he'd died, I was stunned.''
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Edge began his UNC career playing halfback on the freshman team, but was soon shifted to quarterback. He was redshirted by Hickey as a sophomore before earning a starting job at free safety in '61. Edge picked off seven passes that season to finish second behind Virginia's Tom Brown (8) in ACC interceptions.
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As the starting quarterback in '62, Edge completed 103 passes in 185 attempts for 1,234 yards? - all single-season school records at the time. But the Tar Heels finished just 3-7 that season.
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"We didn't have that good of a season, so we were very determined going into my senior year to do something special,'' Edge said. "We wound up going 9-2, but we had to beat Duke in the last game of the season to share the conference championship with N.C. State and go to the Gator Bowl.''
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The Duke game was originally scheduled for November 22 that year. But the assassination of President John F. Kennedy caused the game to be pushed back to Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.
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The Tar Heels trailed 14-13 in the fourth period, but regained possession with 1:23 to play. Two runs by Edge and two completions to Lacey pulled UNC into position for a 42-yard field goal attempt by Max Chapman. Chapman converted the kick to send the Tar Heels to the Gator Bowl with a 16-14 win.
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Edge completed 14 of 32 passes for 230 yards in the game.
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"We went on to the Gator Bowl and slaughtered Air Force,'' Edge said. "That was a big deal because Carolina had been to bowl games with Charlie Justice, but had never won a bowl."
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"Something most people don't realize about the season, too, is that beat three All-American quarterbacks that year.''
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George Mira, Sr., of Miami, Georgia's Larry Rakestraw and Terry Issacson of Air Force were all highly regarded quarterbacks who fell to Edge and the Tar Heels that season. Edge also earned academic All-American honors that year.
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Edge spends his time these days working in life and health insurance sales for Old Fayetteville Insurance. But he also keeps his hand in the sport of football by assisting with the radio broadcasts of the Terry Sanford High School games during the fall.

He teams in those broadcasts with his son, Trey, who lettered in 1989 as a walk on with the Tar Heels.
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"One reason I still do that is I'm able to do it with Trey,'' Edge said. "He's very good at it and it's something we can enjoy together.''
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Although Edge doesn't attend as many UNC football games these days, he does follow the program and sees brighter days ahead under new coach Larry Fedora.
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"I think they've done a great job with that hire,'' Edge said. "I think he's establishing a positive attitude and will do good things there.''
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Edge would have loved the opportunity to perform in Fedora's spread offense.
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"With the receivers and backs I had, I think it would have been fun to watch us run that,'' he said. "I think it's going to be exciting to watch the team next year running the spread.''
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Hopefully for North Carolina supporters, Bryn Renner and the current Tar Heels can enjoy a season like Edge had in the UNC backfield nearly a half-century ago.

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