Villanova college basketball
Death trumps NCAA sadness over missing March Madness. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • Former players die on Monday
  • Coronavirus killed both
  • You don't need to be old to die from COVID-19

College sports fans who have been fooled into believing they are somehow immune from coronavirus take note. Former Texas A&M standout David Edwards and former St. John's player Lee Green died Monday following battles with the virus.

Edwards' death was confirmed to the Dallas Morning News by a Texas A&M spokesperson. His former teammate, Charles Henderson, indicated on Facebook that Edwards had died from COVID-19, writing "This coronavirus has hit me in the heart. We need to find a vaccine."

Edwards started his college career at Georgetown in 1989 but transferred to Texas A&M after one season. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists over three seasons. In the 93-94 season, Edwards led the Southwest Conference with 265 assists, which remains the school’s single-season record.

Edwards was the chief of field operations for the American Diabetes Association in Dallas at the time of his death.

Green's death from coronavirus was reported to the New York Post via former St. John's teammate Lamont Middleton and confirmed by the program's director of sports medicine.
Green played for St. John's from 1991-1994, appearing in 72 games. Across three seasons, Lee averaged 2.9 points per game but was a key role player on two tournament teams.

“He was our defensive lockdown guy,” St. John’s director of sports medicine and longtime head trainer Ron Linfonte said. “He was one of the guys who really relished the role of ‘Give me your best player and I’ll lock him down.’ He sacrificed his offense a lot for the good of the team, and he was everybody’s favorite.”

Green was a retired Brooklyn police officer and DJ. He wasn’t believed to have any pre-existing medical issues. It is believed he contracted the virus at an event he was working as a DJ.

Coronavirus