Though she never actually taught David Edwards in class, Madison instructor Tricia Takas forged a close friendship with the young football player.

It was virtually impossible not to. Enthusiastic, always smiling, Edwards was a kid you couldn't help but love.

"Everybody knew David," Takas said. "It was his personality. He lit up the whole room."

That light expired Wednesday when Edwards, just three days from his 21st birthday, died from complications relating to the catastrophic injury he suffered during a 2003 playoff game against Austin Westlake.

As noted by Mavericks football coach Jim Streety, it had been four years and three months since Edwards, then a junior defensive back, was paralyzed from the neck down.

"It hurts, but it's a better feeling to know he's out of that pain and suffering," said Streety, wiping away tears. "Time will make things better. I know it will."

The news began to filter through the Madison campus less than an hour after Edwards' passing. Takas said she found out from a student whose mother called during class.

"We lost a really great kid, a great person," said Takas, who teaches English and U.S. history. "This didn't just affect (the school); it affected the whole community."

The impact was also felt in Austin, where Westlake coach Derek Long said he'd been flooded with e-mails.

"Our community felt like he was one of our own," Long said. "It's a sad thing to happen to such a young person. But the way he dealt with his injury showed what a tremendous young man he was."

Edwards remained a strong presence at Madison well after his injury. He returned to receive his diploma in 2005, imploring peers to "enjoy every day and love your family" during a commencement address.

Assistant principal Joseph Williams still keeps a snapshot of Edwards, clad in his football uniform, in his office. Williams, who was at the Westlake game, had been teaching Edwards in an algebra class.

"If you thought about the situation, you knew the prognosis wasn't good," he said. "But it wasn't something we dwelled on. We just wanted to do everything we could to let Dave and everybody around him know he was still part of the Madison family."

The school instituted "David Edwards Day," a low-key affair in which Edwards would return to the school every spring to reconnect with teachers and students.

Rather than be bitter about his accident, Edwards maintained a close bond with Streety and the football team, which donated a portion of the proceeds from its annual weight-lifting fundraiser.

"He had a tremendous love for football, even after he got hurt," said Streety, who became a regular visitor to Edwards' home.

Edwards was a fixture at Mavericks games, and he did more than just watch.

Running back Devin Thomas remembers Edwards spurring the team to a comeback victory over Judson in 2005 with a moving halftime speech.

The Mavericks returned the favor last September, chanting Edwards' name as he wheeled by the team bus following Madison's triumph at Smithson Valley. Unable to acknowledge the tribute with a wave or a nod, Edwards did what came naturally.

He smiled.

"It's been a great opportunity to get to know him," Thomas said. "He's always going to be a big part of me and this program.

"You think of Madison, you have to think of David."

Bracing for the worst and praying for the best, the mother of paralyzed former Madison High School football player David Edwards reflected on her son's life as it flickered late Wednesday morning.

"I don't know what the outcome of this will be, but if God takes my baby home, I'll be OK with that," Faye Stanton said. "He won't be in a wheelchair anymore and he'll be in heaven."

Stanton paused briefly before continuing.

"My human side, though, wants my baby back at home," she said. "And I don't care if he's in a wheelchair."

Edwards, who had been in critical condition since slipping into a coma Monday night, died less than two hours later at Northeast Methodist Hospital. He would have turned 21 on Saturday.

More coverage •  Madison loses inspirational friend, leader  KENS video: Watch the broadcast Services for David Edwards Edwards was a junior defensive back at Madison High when he snapped the fourth vertebra in his neck while making a tackle during a playoff game against Austin Westlake on Nov. 15, 2003. He graduated from Madison in 2005 and visited the school and attended athletic events often after the accident. Said Madison basketball coach John Valenzuela: 'He's a once-in-a-lifetime student who taught us more than we could ever teach him.' Edwards died Wednesday afternoon at the age of 20. Services are set for 4 p.m. Sunday at Littleton Gymnasium. Other arrangements are pending. Donations to help the Edwards family can be sent to Madison High School, 5005 Stahl Road, 78247.

Edwards, a quadriplegic since he was injured while making a tackle in a 2003 playoff game, had battled pneumonia and other respiratory problems since the fall.

He stopped breathing shortly after going to bed Monday night. His mother and a neighbor performed CPR on him before paramedics arrived at the family's Northeast Side home.

The paramedics revived Edwards before transporting him to Northeast Methodist, but Stanton said the complications of the pneumonia were too much for her son to overcome.

"David's at peace now," Stanton said. "He's not suffering anymore. He was a gift and an inspiration to everyone he touched. That's what he leaves us."

Cedric Stanton remained with his stepson's body for nearly an hour before joining the group.

"It's hard to say goodbye but I know he's in a better place," said Stanton, who married Faye when Edwards was 7. "He was a good young man."

Madison football coach Jim Streety, who visited Edwards one last time Wednesday morning, maintained a close bond with the former standout defensive back and his family.

Edwards is also survived by brothers Devin, 19, and Dhaylen, 1, and sisters Deira, 16; Deandra, 15; and Shyla, 1.

"It's very hard," Devin said. "We're going to miss him a lot, but he left us a good example of how to live."

Two of Edwards' former teammates, Tony Dillard and Richard Downs, arrived at the hospital minutes after he died.

"It just hurts," said Dillard, who graduated from Madison in 2005. "He was doing so well. This caught everybody off guard. Even after he got hurt, he was the same old David. He never changed. He always had that big smile."

Edwards, who played safety, was a junior when he severed his spinal cord while tackling Austin Westlake wide receiver Coy Aune on Nov. 15, 2003.

Coy and his mother, Marci, drove from Austin on Tuesday to visit Edwards and lend support to his family. Marci Aune said she had painted a birthday poster for Edwards and planned to mail it Wednesday.

Coy Aune, a senior at Texas, and Edwards became good friends and kept in touch in the years after that dark afternoon at Neptune Field in Austin.

"It's sad for all of us who knew and loved David," Coy Aune said. "It's tough to deal with because we're going to miss him. I'm happy in a way, because he's running around and doing all the things he loved to do before he got hurt, but I'm losing a great friend."

Aune, who went on to play football at UT, said Edwards was a role model throughout his struggle with paralysis.

"After you saw the way he handled what he faced every day, it made your problems seem insignificant," Aune said.

Edwards overcame the challenges of his life-altering injury to graduate with his class in spring 2005. He attended classes at San Antonio College last year before illness forced him to withdraw.

Edwards' death was especially tough on Eddie Canales and his family. Canales co-founded Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Organization in 2003 after his youngest son, Chris, suffered a paralyzing injury while playing for San Marcos Baptist Academy in 2001.

Said Chris Canales: "The world lost a good man today. When I'm feeling down, I always think of David's smile. He will inspire me to go on and he never will be forgotten."