Bill Redd was one of the greatest athletes to ever play at the University of Chattanooga. A native of Chattanooga, born in 1900, Redd played four sports at UC from 1918 to 1923. He was named captain of the football and basketball teams as a sophomore in 1920 and remained such through his entire college career. Although it is impossible to imagine this happening today, Redd was also head coach of the basketball team while still a sophomore and continued as captain/coach until 1923. During his career, he paid his own tuition and was never compensated as coach. With Redd as captain/coach, UC was a major basketball power in the southeast, becoming S.I.C. champions and winning the S.I.A.A. title in 1922-1923. Twice voted All-Southern center, Redd regularly led his UC cagers to victory over such teams as Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. He was named athletic director upon graduation in 1924 and served for four years while also coaching basketball and tennis. During his tenure, Redd organized Chattanooga’s most successful professional basketball team, the Rail-Lites, which won the Tennessee and Southern championships in 1930. He was promoter, manager, captain, coach, and player in every game! He remained in good health and active throughout his life. His heroics at UC speak to the golden age of college athletics. The title “player/coach” is a thing of the past, but Bill Redd wore it with distinction, honor, and excellence.
