Excerpted from article by Myles Strasser in Souvenir Edition of Oshkosh Daily Northwestern Newspaper, January 25, 1979

The symbol of the Oshkosh All Stars during their emerging years was an All-American from the Univeristy of Kentucky who answered to either "Lefty" or "Cowboy." His real name was Leroy Edwards and he had a reputation for being flaky in a sly, put-on manner. Sort of a Bugs Bunny type. His personality was perfect for legend-construction and the people of Oshkosh did their best to wrap one around him.

Edwards and Lon Darling

They told of how the boys used to go to Lefty's tavern for some celebrating after the games. Round after round of drinks would be ordered, mainly bottles of People's, Rahr's and Chief Oshkosh at 10 cents a bottle. The juke box would be blaring away as a background to their talk; the place was alive, smoky, bursting with the smells of a blue-collar pub on a banner evening's business.

Lefty would be behind the bar, taking an active part in the conversation and occasionally paying attention to his business. When a patron would order a shooter for a little extra kick, Lefty would give him the bottle and let him pour his own. When a group ordered another round of identical drinks, Lefty would ring up the price on the cash register and it would be different than it was the first time around. Maybe more, maybe less. He didn't pay attention to details like that. The third round would bring a third price.

They told of the boys shooting craps in the back of his tavern one night after a game. Lefty did not have good luck that night; every so often he would run up to the till and take out another five-spot. In a short while luck betrayed him again and he went back to the till for more ammunition. He did a lot of running that evening. Finally he became so enraged he reached up, pulled the light string and the game was over. However, the string was still in his hand; he had pulled so hard the light bulb was now without a turn-on.

Then there was the time the team was traveling to Milwaukee:

"Hey Lonnie,"

"Yeah,"

"How big is Milwaukee anyway ?"

"Oh, about 500,000."

Pause

"Hey, Lonnie."

"Yeah, Lefty."

"Is that more or less than a million?"

He was famous for sticking his finger in the chest of the person he was with and bumming a cigarette. One day while the team was traveling, the All Stars tried to put an end to this annoying, mooching habit by smoking pipes instead of cigarettes. Lefty looked around and saw his buddies with these new devices hanging from their mouths.

At the next stop he went into a store and came out with his own pipe. He got back into the vehicle and snorted:

"All right, who's got the tobacco?"

The classic confrontation - Lefty Edwards (23) against George Mikan

On the playing floor Lefty had a way of hooking his fingers through the belt loops of the man he was guarding to restrict his movement. If a foul was called, Lefty would look up with the most innocent of faces as if to say, "Who, me?"

The stories about his carousing, if true, put him in a league with Superman, Paul Hornung, Don Juan and Joe Namath.

When you mention his name to an old-timer there will be a warm smile of recognition and a shake of the head: "Oh Lefty. Yes, he was something!"

He was something. More than any other All Star, Lefty Edwards made Oshkosh synonymous with championship professional basketball. There were other good ones, to be sure, but Lefty had it all: ability, charisma, charm, glow. He was the star.

When an Oshkosh native went into the service at the beginning of World War II, he reported to a base in Florida where he was greeted by a typist who wanted all of his personal information. As soon as the native said "Oshkosh," the typist said, "Hey, O-S-H-K-O-S-H, home of Cowboy Edwards. I'm from New York and I see him every time he played in the Garden."

Lefty Edwards in 1937

Edwards was born in Crawfordsville, Ind., on April 14, 1914. He played his collegiate basketball at the University of Kentucky, a traditional national powerhouse. He was a bona fide All-American who once made 12 baskets in 12 attempts during a game at Madison Square Garden. This feat was recorded in Ripley's "Believe It or Not" newspaper feature.

During one season at Kentucky he totaled 344 points for a 17-point-per-game average. This was in the days of low-scoring basketball.

He joined the All Stars in February of 1936 and led the National Professional Basketball League in scoring for three consecutive years from 1938-40. He was the first player in the league to score 30 points in one game.

George Mikan, the first dominating big man the game ever knew, said Edwards was the toughest player he ever faced in his career.

On Aug. 13, 1971, Edwards was admitted to the [Helms] Basketball Hall of Fame. A few days later he died at his home in Indianapolis, Ind., of a heart attack while cutting the grass. He was 57 years old.

Like most of the All Stars who came from other parts fo the nation to play basketball in Oshkosh, Edwards enjoyed living here. He once told his wife, "When I die, I want to be buried in Oshkosh." And he was -- at Lakeview Memorial Park.

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