Dwaine EdgarjoinedSwamp Peopleduring Season 8 as a fourth-generation fisherman to continue his family’slong legacy of safeguarding the swamp, but his return to the swamp was paved in career heartbreak.Before he was wrangling gators onSwamp People, Dwaine was pitching fastballs in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees. Now a fan favorite on the long-running History Channel series, Edgar’s journey from baseball dreams to bayou legacy is anything but typical.
His father, the “Creole Patriarch,”Daniel Edgar,first appeared onSwamp PeopleSeason 8 afterTroy Landryconvinced him to come on board with his50 years of experience in commercial fishing,trapping, andalligator hunting. The Edgars are one of Louisiana’smost respectedgator-hunting families,only next to the Landrys themselves. However, unlike Landry’s sons, Edgar carved out a journey of his own before he finally returned to the swamp to carry on his family’sdecade-old tradition of living in the swamp.
The Moment That Changed It All for the Baseball Player
During a candid conversation with Landry inSwamp PeopleSeason 8, the former athlete shared hisexperience of pitching in 14 games with the Yankees— he had no idea that this would be his first and only professional season before he returned to the family trade. While Edgar was a promising athlete right from the start, he had to say goodbye to the game due to a serious injury.“I tore ligaments in my elbow,”he told Landry. The unfortunate incident happened during a game with the Asheville Tourists when the relief pitcher was in the bullpen to warm up.
The reality star vividly remembers the moment everything came crashing down for him.The day before the big game,it had rained really hard. Some of his teammates had left their gear, including jockstraps, balls, and gloves, lying out on the benches and as the fans filled up the stands, the players started tossing the gear into the crowd. Soon enough, a hugefight broke out among the fanswho weretrying to get hold of the items. Edgar recalls standing there in awe of the moment. That’s when he realized that he was actually living his dream of being aprofessional baseball player.
How Edgar Found Acceptance and Moved on From His Old Life
Sadly, the moment that brought him so much happiness was also his biggest distraction. The pitchercouldn’t focus on warming up properly.When he threw his first pitch, the ligaments in his arm tore, and just like that, his career was over before it even truly began. However, Edgar reflected on his past andaccepted his fate as God’s plan.The reality star shared that over time, he accepted what God wanted for him and realized that he was meant to do something else.
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Instead of letting that deter him, the former baseball player took up teaching and startedcoaching school kids in baseball and life.Not only did he teach them the game, but he also taught them about his unwavering faith. According to the hunter, God intended for him to help others find purpose, and hisbaseball career was just a means to that end.Looking back, Edgar claims that he wouldn’t have it any other way. The reality star joked that while hewould have made more money as a baseball player, at the end of the day, things worked out just fine for him.
The Edgar Family’s Inspirational Success Story
Edgar’s father and grandfatherfounded the company in 1986,and since then, they have been selling their fresh and saltwater fish directly from their dock at the Port of West St. Mary. The Edgar family business is a Louisiana staple and the go-to wholesaler for fishermen across the region. Their prime location gives them direct access to the Gulf Coast’s diverse aquatic life. Edgar, along with his brother,Joey Edgar,and sister,Danielle Edgar,practicallygrew up on the bayouas they learned how to operate boats and catch seafood for a living. While Edgar’s entire childhood was defined by his family’s commercial seafood business, he wanted to create a legacy of his own. This led him down a completely unexpected path.
Edgar decided to pursue higher education and attend Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, where he majored in general studies. However, during college,he realized hispassion for baseball.This marked a huge shift for Edgar, who had never imagined of a career beyond the swamp. However, when he ended up becoming a relief pitcher for the Southern Jaguars,the reality starknew that he had to follow his heart, even if that meanttemporarily turning his back on his family’s expectations. In 1994, Edgar’s career hit a peak when the New York Yankees drafted him in the 15th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft. Edgar ended up joining the minor league team, Oneota Yankees, in the New York-Penn League.
Swamp Peopleis available to stream on Hulu.
Swamp People
