Terry Edwards
“The Sporting Edwards Brothers”
Terry Edwards
being presented award by Reunion Committee chair Rick
Kavanagh
Terry Edwards, brother of hockey great
Marv Edwards, definitely took a different path in sports.
Marv Edwards’ career started out in St. Catharines playing
for the St. Catharines Blackhawks, then playing in Europe
and then moving back to the California Seals, before playing
for Nashville of the International League. Finally Marv
Edwards ended up with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he
remains affiliated today with the Peterborough Petes, as a
goal tending coach while still living in Havelock, Ontario
and working at Stewart Chrysler. While we all know that
hockey can be a rough and tumble world, brother Terry
Edwards chose the rough and tumble world of stock car
racing.
In the early 50's Terry along with Stan
Friesen and Wingy Barron had a 34 Ford that they shared
driving chores in, until one night when Wingy Barron on a
dare, rolled the car on the front stretch. After that
episode, Terry built his own car #51 and Stan Friesen had
his own car #52, all during the early Ford flathead era of
1954.
In 1955 Terry started driving for Bill
Willard Sr. in his flathead Ford #77, sponsored by Willard’s
Garage of Rockway. This association lasted until 1959.
During this period he recalls racing at Merrittville,
Ransomville, and Lancaster, against the “bugs” on dirt.
In 1962, Terry was now driving for Tom Mallory and raced at
Speedway Park in Hamilton, when it opened and on Cayuga when
it was dirt in 1966 on Sunday afternoons. At this time, they
were running the 6 cylinders against the V8 powered cars.
This was in the era of when drivers such
as Bob St. Amand, Terry Edwards ran very well in the 6
cylinder cars. During the mid 1960's Terry Edwards
continued to drive Tom Mallory’s #20 Mongrels. This time it
was a Ford Falcon, short wheelbased car. This car was built
for asphalt and dirt, but after crashing badly at Lancaster,
it was repaired for dirt where it ran very well against the
coupes of the day.
About 1967-68, Tom Mallory built the #20
1936 Plymouth Coupe, but this time they installed a 327 cu.
in. Chevrolet, then a 396 cu. in. engine, before finally
buying a 427 cu. in. engine from Jeno Begolo. This
particular car competed and won the opening day feature at
Rolling Wheels, as well as competing regularly at
Merrittville Speedway.
During 1969-70 Don Deagle replaced Terry
Edwards in the #20 Mongrel, but Terry moved over to his own
#51 modified coupe. During 1971-72, Terry Edwards toured
the stock car circuit and raced from Merrittville, to
Langhorne and parts in between. At one point he had 3 cars
parked around the dirt circuit, so he always had a spare.
In 1973 Terry built a Mustang bodied
modified and continued to tour the dirt circuit. It became
one of Pat Chiofi’s first cars, however it went full circle,
when the Willard family bought it and it became Bill Willard
Jr.’s second race car. At that time the Mustang modified
became #77, limited sportsman six cylinder powered and
became a very successful race car.
During that time Terry left racing to go
trucking for 8 or 9 years, however he started helping out
young Billy Willard Jr.s career as crew chief and also
Tammy’s career when she decided to try sportsman cars after
leaving go-karts. Now some 20 years later and after
accumulating some 9 points championships- Terry Edwards is
still crew chiefing for the Willard racing team, headed by
Allan Willard.
When asked, Terry Edwards wished to thank
a few friends. First of all, Bill Willard Sr. and the
Willard family for all their years of support. His friend
Stan Friesen, with whom he started out his driving career
with, as well as his son Terry Jr. who welded and helped out
on his cars, but most of all, his wife Margeurite of 48
years.
This only goes to show that stock car
racing is a family sport and Terry Edwards has been devoted
to it for over 47 years, while his brother Marv, took a
different route, being devoted to the sport of hockey.
Whether crew chief or coach, our hats off to the both of
you.