Schunk: Herm Edwards inspires at NAHAD

"There are two types of leaders. The ones who lead with their seat, and the ones who lead with their feet."

Leadership can take many forms, but there are certain tenets that are applicable to any position of esteem—as president of a hose manufacturer or distribution company, as floor manager at a hose accessories plant, or, as was the case at NAHAD 2021, as "the ole ball coach."

Herman Edwards, the Arizona State Sun Devils head football coach, referred to himself as such during a June 13 keynote address to The Association of Hose and Accessories Distribution.

For close to one hour, Edwards held the rapt attention of 600 conference attendees in the ballroom of the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Resort, offering inspiring and insightful anecdotes based on his life experiences.

Known for his press conference sound bites—think "you play to win the game"—a number of "Hermisms" found their way into his hortatory talk.

"Everyone wants to sit in that seat," Edwards said. "That is, until problems occur. Most people want to know the score before they play the game, and that's just not the way it works."

Edwards is a 10-year NFL veteran with the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams who later became an NFL head coach with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He has been head coach of the Sun Devils since December 2017.

Edwards never missed a practice or a game in his playing career, from Monterey High School in California, to San Diego State University, to his professional career, a run of ironman-like durability that no doubt is a function of his military family upbringing.

More than his accomplished professional career, Edwards beams when he talks about his father, Herman Edwards Sr., a master sergeant who served in World War II and the Korean War.

While Edwards bases his own leadership style on the foundations that an open ear makes for an open mind; possessing a keen eye for personnel puts the collective in a winning position; and that flexibility and adaptation are critical when the unknown occurs, such as the COVID-19 crisis, his patriotism trumped all else when he was overseeing the Jets' practice that fateful Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.

"I looked up and didn't see any planes in the sky," he said. "What is this? What's going on? Then we heard the news. "And there was no way I felt like coaching a football game that Sunday. We were going to forfeit."

By that Thursday, based in part on Edwards' stern conviction—and initially unpopular decision—not to play that following Sunday, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue postponed that week of the NFL season. "More than anything—as a player, father or head coach—loading trucks that Sunday for firefighters and first responders is my most cherished accomplishment," Edwards said.

The notions of family and legacy represent the highest of callings for Edwards, and they struck home for the 600 NAHAD members as they considered their own companies, employees—even competitive colleagues.

"My Dad told me, 'I gave you a good last name, something money cannot buy. When you do something, you do it well because your name is on it.' "

Schunk is a reporter for Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached at [email protected].