Legendary Oakland Tech football coach Delton Edwards dies at 58

Former Oakland Tech coach Delton Edwards, whose players included back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Josh Johnson, who like Lynch played within the NFL, died early Thursday morning at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland.

The legendary coach, who would are 59 next month. was hospitalized in the week with pneumonia. Lynch called the hospital Thursday morning from Africa, consistent with Edwards’ wife Yolanda.

Edwards was the top coach at Oakland Tech from 1997-2011, succeeding current Campolindo coach Kevin Macy.

“He was an outstanding man, an excellent mentor, and leader,” said Virdell Larkins Jr., Edwards’ nephew and therefore the current coach at Oakland Tech. “He impacted people that never played for him. We’re getting to miss him.”

Tributes for Edwards came from throughout the Bay Area.

“I’m still recovering from this one,” said San Jose State running backs coach Alonzo Carter. “This one hurts.”

Carter was the top coach at McClymonds when Edwards was at Oakland Tech.

“We shared such a lot together,” Carter said. “Who does that with a rival, when you’re coaching opposing teams?

“He was an exquisite man, always teaching, always trying to urge kids to school. I can’t put into words how selfless that man was.”

John Beam, the coach at Laney College, was another Oakland Athletic League rival at Skyline.

“He played during this league, he played at Merritt College,” Beam said of Edwards. “You believe all the differences he made in people’s lives. He did an honest job mentoring young coaches. this is often getting to be a loss.”

Edwards graduated from Oakland High and visited Merritt College. He was a heavily recruited linebacker at Merritt and aroused getting to college in Illinois. But he left for private reasons.

Edwards is survived by his wife Yolanda, two sons, two daughters, two step-daughters, and 10 grandchildren.