Donnie Edwards

Edwards was born in Chula Vista, California,^[7][8] and is the second of eight brothers and sisters. Despite stark financial circumstances, Edwards excelled in school and athletics, where he played football, baseball, and wrestled.^[9] On the football field, as a slight linebacker at only 170 pounds, Edwards believed that academics would be his ticket to opportunity. He remains an active advocate for education, and emphasizes this point in his work with schoolchildren.^[10]

Edwards accepted a scholarship to UCLA where he played as a linebacker for UCLA from 1992 to 1995. Edwards left school ranked third in tackles for losses in school history with 38, and fifth in sacks in the school's history, with 22.5 sacks. He also tied the school record for sacks in a game with 4.5 sacks versus Southern Methodist University, and ranks second in school history for sacks in a single season, with 12.5 sacks. Following his junior year, he won third-team All-America honors. He also played baseball as a junior at first base and third base. Edwards was a member of the Alpha Rho chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at UCLA, and played center-field on the UCLA baseball team.

Since retiring, Edwards has devoted himself full-time to philanthropy. He donates time and money to the charitable organizations and institutions that provided positive guidance during his youth. He hosts an annual 'Dad's Day with Donnie' in San Diego, California. The event provides children who are missing a father figure the unique opportunity to spend a day with professional athletes. He is also a dedicated supporter of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, After School All-Stars, the Best Defense Foundation, and Jump for Life.^[4]

Edwards also supports the U.S. military. Influenced by his studies in political science at UCLA and a grandfather who served in World War II, Edwards has participated in seven United Service Organization tours. In 2018, Donnie and his wife Kathryn, started the non-profit, Best Defense Foundation. The Foundation focuses on three pillar programs—Battlefield Returns take veterans back to their battlefields; Stronghold Transitions provides retreats for newly transitioning special force operators to focus on mental health; Education Initiative to promote the preservation of the legacy of those who have served in the military.

Edwards travels between his two homes in Rancho Santa Fe, California and Brentwood, California with his wife Kathryn Eickstaedt; they appeared together on the sixth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.^[15][16] He is a certified yoga instructor and has served as a brand ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai watches.^[17]

He is of Mexican, Native American, and African American descent.^[18]