FAIRFAX, Va. — Brad Edwards, the defensive co-captain in the last Redskins’ Super Bowl win in 1992, was introduced Monday as the new athletic director at George Mason University.

The former safety is taking over for Tom O’Connor, who announced in March he was retiring on July 1 after 20 years of service.

“Fate,” Edwards said, is what brought him back to the area, where he still has friends and connections. Edwards said that being raised by educators, academics has always been what drives him, and he wants to build on what already is a strong foundation at George Mason.

Edwards added that he “wants to make sure the student-athlete has the best support system from an academic perspective.”

There is also a chance that Edwards may have some time in the fall to watch the team he played with for four seasons, either on television or at Fedex Field.

“I’m a huge fan,” Edwards said smiling proudly. “And have been forever.” Edwards, who played nine years in the NFL for Minnesota, Washington and Atlanta, has been athletic director at Jacksonville University since 2012, and was an assistant AD at the University of South Carolina, his alma mater.

Follow @WTOPSports on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.