[1] In a 1928 New York Daily News article, it was stated that Edwards' paternal grandmother was East Indian and his maternal grandfather was Scottish and that fellow Olympian Jack London was a classmate of his at Queen's College in Georgetown.

Growing up in what Edwards called 'a country district', he practiced sprinting by racing an angry cow, according to the article.

After graduating, he left British Guiana and moved to the United States, enrolling at New York University (NYU) in 1925, where his elder brother “King” Edward was already a great student athlete.

Under the guidance of NYU coach Emil Von Elling, Edwards steadily improved really great as a runner, particularly in 880-yard races or more.

[3][4] While Edwards' performances at New York University clearly established him as an Olympic-calibre athlete, he was not eligible to compete for the United States as he was not an American citizen.

[7] The 1940 Olympics were soon cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II In 1957, Edwards and James Worrall were involved in developing Canada's first international sport effort, which assisted young athletes in the Eastern Caribbean.

Edwards became the first black person to graduate from McGill University's medical school in 1936, immediately before competing in the 1936 Olympic Games and being named Canada's top athlete.

Interrupting his medical career to serve with the Canadian army, Edwards rose to the rank of captain during World War II before returning to Montreal.

In 1960, Dr. Edwards was a member of a Canadian Red Cross team of four doctors and six nurses working in Coquilhatville in Congo.

At the Amsterdam Olympics, Edwards met his first wife, Edith Margaret Oedelschoff, a native of the former German territory of Alsace-Lorraine and a resident of Weehawken, New Jersey.