Remembering Blue Devil George Redman

Long time Central Connecticut State University coach and Blue Devil Hall of Famer George Redman passed away on Monday, October 10.  Redman had been affiliated with the Blue Devils since 1969, and was inducted in the CCSU Hall of Fame in 2006. 

“It is with great sadness that we announce that one of our beloved Blue Devils, Coach George Redman, has passed away,” Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann said on Tuesday.  “Coach Redman was a Blue Devil to the core.  He was a visible and welcome presence at our events right up until his passing, always spirited and always coaching.  We are forever indebted to Coach Redman for the loyalty, commitment and passion he gave to Central and to Blue Devil Athletics.  George’s wonderful legacy; his competitiveness, work ethic and toughness, lives on in the generations of student-athletes he mentored and impacted throughout his successful career. We extend our deepest sympathies to George’s family and share their sense of loss at this difficult time.”

As a high school student-athlete, Redman was revered at Bristol High School, and is considered one of the city's most talented and versatile athletes ever.  He was a three-sport standout and a member of the Class of 1955 at Bristol High.  He was inducted into the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Following an outstanding multi-sport career at Springfield College, he coached football and wrestling at Bristol Central High School, prior to coming to CCSU.  At Springfield Redman was an All-East and All-New England selection.

During his time with the Blue Devils, Redman coached football, baseball and wrestling.

He was CCSU's last freshman football coach.  He served as an assistant coach for the Blue Devil football team for several seasons, coaching the offensive and defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs and was also the offensive and defensive coordinator at various times over more than 15 years on the sidelines. 

As the head coach of the wrestling program, he mentored seven All-Americans and 22 All-New England wrestlers in 15 seasons.  His grapplers won 162 of 211 matches, a record of success that set the standard in the New England region.

Redman also spent 14 seasons as the baseball coach of the Blue Devils, retiring after his final season in 1999.  He posted six 20-win seasons.  He took over a team that hadn’t had a winning season in 11 years, and went on to post eight winning campaigns in his 14 years.  He was the conference coach of the year during his tenure.

He continued to remain active in the CCSU athletics community, most recently attending the Homecoming Golf Outing at Goodwin Park on Oct. 7, and then the Homecoming football game the following day.

Following his retirement from CCSU, Redman took up new causes with the same competitive fervor that made him both the fiercest of competitors and the most loyal of friends. Ask those who coached against him and they say virtually without exception that they could not help but respect both his knowledge and his passion. Those who played for him say the same things, often adding that in his demanding, relentless commitment to excellence they found strengths they never even knew they had.

Arrangement Information:

Wake
Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Time: 5:00-8:00pm
Place: O’Brien Funeral Home, 24 Lincoln Street, Forestville, CT 06010
                
Funeral
Date: Friday, October 14, 2011
Time: 11:00am
Place: Prospect United Methodist Church, 99 Summer Ave, Bristol, CT 06010

*Burial will take place at St. Joseph’s cemetery immediately following the funeral service.
*Reminder: there are no calling hours at the funeral home on Friday morning.