Oil and water. Stripes and polka dots. Some things just don't mix. What about football force and musical finesse?

Meet Yancy Edwards, offensive lineman for the Kenyon College Lords--and dexterous trumpeter. A junior from Wesley Chapel, Florida, Edwards manages riffs in the concert hall as adroitly as he manhandles opponents on the gridiron.

"Being a musician gives me a chance to do something different and have people not think of me as just a stereotypical football player," says Edwards, a sociology major with aspirations of working for a federal law enforcement agency. "It's a role I enjoy having."

His role on the football field has been a major one. A starter for the Lords since his freshman year, Edwards has helped the Lords' offense set an impressive number of Kenyon records and win some wider attention. In 2006, the offense was ranked among the top 12 NCAA Division III schools in the nation in total yards (4,514), rushing yards (2,678), and points (354).

Meanwhile, Edwards has won impressive individual recognition. In the summer of 2007, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine named him an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar based on his achievements in both academics and football, as well as on his campus involvement.

While football requires a lot of time, Edwards could never imagine giving up the trumpet, an instrument he's played for longer than he's worn shoulder pads. At Kenyon, he has been a member of the College's symphonic wind ensemble and, with some fellow students, formed a Motown funk band that performs at campus parties and College events.

For Edwards, football and music harmonize. "It's been tough balancing both," he admits, "but I love playing football and I love playing my music. If there was a way I could do both, I was going to do it. I love both too much to give up one or the other."