Andrew was born June 21, 1982 in Bedford, the son of Cynthia and Andrew Dwyer. He was a 1998 honor roll graduate of Rippowam-Cisqua School in Bedford, where he played three varsity sports, and a 2001 honor roll graduate of Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., where he played varsity lacrosse and captained the paddle tennis team. Andrew was a member of Yale's Class of 2005 and of the fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon.

An obsessive sports fan, Andrew, known as "Dogg" to his friends, was a tough competitor as well. He and a friend resurrected the dormant paddle tennis team at Hotchkiss and built a new team that defeated Salisbury for the first time in school history. His faculty adviser at Hotchkiss recalled Andrew by saying, "He was rarely without a grin on his face and he had this sort of charming way of glancing at you with this half a grin that you knew would be a full grin the minute he made eye contact with you. It was just funny the way he would reach you."

In spite of the paddle tennis, lacrosse, pick-up basketball games, pool and tubing in front of the Dwyer's house on Fishers Island , Andrew had one overriding passion in sports: golf. His 5.3 handicap tamed courses at both the Fishers Island Club and the Bedford Golf & Tennis Club. It was acknowledged that only an early morning tee time could arouse Andrew, who liked to sleep late.

Andrew is remembered affectionately for his idiosyncrasies and his generosity: he embraced cheeseburgers and cheesedogs, never wavering in his rejection of vegetables. He ordered food for friends, day or night, often picking up the tab, and never met a prank or a person he did not like. He had the uncanny ability to weave humor into serious situations and always looked for ways to lift the spirits of others. A friend said, "he was the most loving, caring, compassionate person I ever met - ever.” Paul Ardire (Yale '02 grad and President of the Bulldogs Care Foundation) said, “all these special characteristics made it so easy to see how Andrew created a large base of friends within his first few weeks on campus.”

Andrew was seldom out-argued and planned to major in political science at Yale. He quickly found solutions to problems, always with a selflessness that led to a multitude of friendships. Nearly all of his friends, whether from Bedford, Hotchkiss, Fishers Island or Yale, considered him their best friend. "He always lifted everyone's spirits," his roommate, Tony Bellino (Yale '05 grad), said. "He was everyone's friend." Bellino also described Dwyer as a "sports nut" whose knowledge made him like a "sports encyclopedia."