Curtis Redden
Encyclopedia
Curtis Gerald "Cap" Redden (February 8, 1881 – January 16, 1919) was an American football
player. He was the starting left end for the University of Michigan's football team from 1901–1904. He played for Michigan's "Point-a-Minute" teams and was unanimously selected as an All-Western player in 1903. Redden died of pneumonia while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany at the end of World War I
.
. His father, William B. Redden, was an Indiana native and a lawyer. His mother, Sarah E. Redden, was also an Indiana native. Redden had two younger brothers, Forest and James, and a younger sister, Jessie. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Redden was living in Rossville, Illinois
with his parents and siblings.
where he became one of the stars of Fielding H. Yost's famous "Point-a-Minute" teams of 1901
, 1902
, and 1903
. The 1901 team compiled a record of 11–0 and outscored its opponents 550–0. In Redden's sophomore, junior and senior years, Michigan was 33–0–1 and outscored opponents by a total of 1,764 to 18. At the end of his senior season, Redden was a unanimous first-team All-Western selection, including designations by the Chicago Record-Herald, The Chicago Daily News, and The Inter-Ocean. He was one of only five players upon whom the "Western football critics have been able to unanimously agree." The Chicago Daily News also designated Redden as the captain of its 1903 All-Western team and explained its choice as follows:
Redden was also selected as a third-team All-American by Walter Camp
. After he graduated, one paper noted the impact his loss would have on the 1904 team: "The loss of Captain Redden will be felt keenly. For four years he was regarded as the greatest end the west ever produced."
An all-around athlete, Redden was selected as the captain of Michigan's football and baseball teams in his senior year. One newspaper summed up Redden's athletic career at Michigan as follows:
went to Vanderbilt
, Willie Heston
to Drake, Albert E. Herrnstein
to Purdue
and Ohio State
, Paul J. Jones
to Western Reserve
, Bruce Shorts
to Nevada and Oregon
, William Cole to Virginia, Frank Longman
to Arkansas and Notre Dame, Joseph Maddock
to Oregon and Utah
and Fred Norcross to Oregon State. And in 1905, Redden was hired as the football coach at Kentucky. In November 1905, a newspaper reported on Redden's progress at Kentucky: "What Redden is doing at Kentucky is best shown by the record his moonshiners made in this Northwestern game. Undoubtedly, the close, hard game given the purple bv Redden's pupils, helped pull
Northwestern down to the weakened condition in which Stagg's men found McCormick's players."
In 1906, Redden, who had also been a star in baseball at Michigan, signed to play baseball with the Indianapolis Indians
in the American Association
.
By 1908, Redden had opened a law practice in his home town of Danville, Illinois
, where he also became involved in politics. In October 1908, Redden agreed to take time out from his law practice to join Coach Yost's staff to whip the Michigan football team into shape. Redden was given responsibility over the linemen. For a portion of the 1911 season, Yost left Redden in charge of the team while Yost traveled to the East to watch Penn play Jim Thorpe's Carlisle Indians. Redden remained on Yost's coaching staff through the 1912 season. For several years, Redden had continued his law practice in Illinois but had "been able to spare a few weeks to return to Ann Arbor and help out" as Yost's assistant. By 1912, Yost concluded he needed a year-round, full-time staff of assistants, and Redden returned to Illinois.
. He served as a lieutenant colonel of the 149th Field Artillery with the Rainbow Division in France. His unit was among the first to leave for France. In April 1918, newspapers published a letter from Redden to a friend back home describing the Illinois artillery unit's "baptism of fire." He described the heavy shelling the unit withstood:
In November 1918, Redden was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 149th Field Artillery Regiment.
Redden survived the many battles in which his unit fought only to come down with pneumonia
after the army of occupation began its march into Germany. Redden died of pneumonia in January 1919 at a hospital in Koblenz
, Germany
. Redden had been in command of the artillery unit since October 1918. Redden was buried in Germany on a slope near the point where the Rhine and Moselle River
s meet. Newspapers described his funeral as follows:
Redden has since been reburied in Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois, USA.
In 1921, one of the columns in Memorial Stadium
at the University of Illinois was dedicated to Redden. The funds to purchase the column were donated by friends of Redden from his days at Michigan and by the men who served with him in the 149th Field Artillery. The column was dedicated at a ceremony prior the 1921 Michigan-Illinois game. The Michigan Alumnus magazine in November 1921 reported: "This column will stand for all time to perpetuate the memory of Colonel Redden and as a bond of union between the two great universities."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He was the starting left end for the University of Michigan's football team from 1901–1904. He played for Michigan's "Point-a-Minute" teams and was unanimously selected as an All-Western player in 1903. Redden died of pneumonia while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Early years
Redden was born in Danville, IllinoisDanville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
. His father, William B. Redden, was an Indiana native and a lawyer. His mother, Sarah E. Redden, was also an Indiana native. Redden had two younger brothers, Forest and James, and a younger sister, Jessie. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Redden was living in Rossville, Illinois
Rossville, Illinois
Rossville is a village in Ross Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 1,217 at the 2000 census, and 1,147 in 2009.-History:...
with his parents and siblings.
University of Michigan
Redden enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he became one of the stars of Fielding H. Yost's famous "Point-a-Minute" teams of 1901
1901 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season. In their first year under new head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550...
, 1902
1902 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1902 college football season. In their second year under head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by a combined score of 644 to...
, and 1903
1903 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1903 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost...
. The 1901 team compiled a record of 11–0 and outscored its opponents 550–0. In Redden's sophomore, junior and senior years, Michigan was 33–0–1 and outscored opponents by a total of 1,764 to 18. At the end of his senior season, Redden was a unanimous first-team All-Western selection, including designations by the Chicago Record-Herald, The Chicago Daily News, and The Inter-Ocean. He was one of only five players upon whom the "Western football critics have been able to unanimously agree." The Chicago Daily News also designated Redden as the captain of its 1903 All-Western team and explained its choice as follows:
"Redden's cool head in a game, his speed and strong playing mark him as the most legitimate selection for captain among all the other captains ... Redden's speed up the field on punts, his ability to stiff arm every interferer without slackening up that speed, and his open-field tackling mark him as the best end for the pure type of end work the west has seen in years. Offensively his skill lies in assisting his tackle in boxing an opponent and assisting the runner after he has passed the line."
Redden was also selected as a third-team All-American by Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
. After he graduated, one paper noted the impact his loss would have on the 1904 team: "The loss of Captain Redden will be felt keenly. For four years he was regarded as the greatest end the west ever produced."
An all-around athlete, Redden was selected as the captain of Michigan's football and baseball teams in his senior year. One newspaper summed up Redden's athletic career at Michigan as follows:
"Redden was captain not only of this year's Michigan football team but also of the selected All-Star Western team. He is a natural football player and is one of the best ends the Middle West has ever produced. He is also captain of the school
track team, being the only man who has had the distinction of holding both stations
of honor at the same time."
Football coach and lawyer
With the success of Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams, his former players were in great demand as coaches. Dan McGuginDan McGugin
Daniel Earle McGugin was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1934, compiling a record of 197–55–19. He played college football at the University...
went to Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
, Willie Heston
Willie Heston
William Martin "Willie" Heston was an American football player and coach. He played halfback at San Jose State University and the University of Michigan. Heston was the head football coach for Drake University in 1905 and North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now North...
to Drake, Albert E. Herrnstein
Albert E. Herrnstein
Albert Ernest Herrnstein was an American football player and coach. He played at the University of Michigan as a halfback and end from 1899–1902 and was the head football coach at the Haskell Indian School , Purdue University , and Ohio State University .-University of Michigan:A native of...
to Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
and Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, Paul J. Jones
Paul J. Jones
-External links:...
to Western Reserve
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, Bruce Shorts
Bruce Shorts
Bruce Carman Shorts was an American football player and coach. He played as a tackle for the University of Michigan from 1900 to 1901. He later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada, Reno in 1904 and at the University of Oregon in 1905.-Athlete:Shorts attended high school...
to Nevada and Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
, William Cole to Virginia, Frank Longman
Frank Longman
-External links:...
to Arkansas and Notre Dame, Joseph Maddock
Joe Maddock (coach)
Joseph Herbert Maddock was a college football player and coach. He was an All-Western tackle for the University of Michigan's "Point-a-Minute" football teams from 1902–1903. He also set a Western Conference record in the hammer throw...
to Oregon and Utah
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
and Fred Norcross to Oregon State. And in 1905, Redden was hired as the football coach at Kentucky. In November 1905, a newspaper reported on Redden's progress at Kentucky: "What Redden is doing at Kentucky is best shown by the record his moonshiners made in this Northwestern game. Undoubtedly, the close, hard game given the purple bv Redden's pupils, helped pull
Northwestern down to the weakened condition in which Stagg's men found McCormick's players."
In 1906, Redden, who had also been a star in baseball at Michigan, signed to play baseball with the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
in the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
.
By 1908, Redden had opened a law practice in his home town of Danville, Illinois
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
, where he also became involved in politics. In October 1908, Redden agreed to take time out from his law practice to join Coach Yost's staff to whip the Michigan football team into shape. Redden was given responsibility over the linemen. For a portion of the 1911 season, Yost left Redden in charge of the team while Yost traveled to the East to watch Penn play Jim Thorpe's Carlisle Indians. Redden remained on Yost's coaching staff through the 1912 season. For several years, Redden had continued his law practice in Illinois but had "been able to spare a few weeks to return to Ann Arbor and help out" as Yost's assistant. By 1912, Yost concluded he needed a year-round, full-time staff of assistants, and Redden returned to Illinois.
World War I
Redden enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He served as a lieutenant colonel of the 149th Field Artillery with the Rainbow Division in France. His unit was among the first to leave for France. In April 1918, newspapers published a letter from Redden to a friend back home describing the Illinois artillery unit's "baptism of fire." He described the heavy shelling the unit withstood:
"And so it went from day to day, but oftimes the nights were very bad. At night, when the infantry launched its raids, or the enemy his, or the infantry became nervous and called for help, the guns stamped like stallions and snorted their breaths of fire. The blackness of the night became a series of dots and dashes, until the world resembled a vast radio station, spelling hell, hell, and hell again. To this must be added the shriek of shells, the whistle of fragments, the automatic hammer effect of the machine gun, the rattle of the rifle fire, the rockets and star shells out over No Man's land—all combined to make the night weird, hideous, fascinating, sublime."
In November 1918, Redden was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 149th Field Artillery Regiment.
Redden survived the many battles in which his unit fought only to come down with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
after the army of occupation began its march into Germany. Redden died of pneumonia in January 1919 at a hospital in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Redden had been in command of the artillery unit since October 1918. Redden was buried in Germany on a slope near the point where the Rhine and Moselle River
Moselle River
The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
s meet. Newspapers described his funeral as follows:
"With an escort of more than 600 enlisted men besides the officers of the 149th and 67th artillery brigade, of which the regiment was a part, the cortege passed through Coblenz with Redden's horse, 'Sergeant,' taking the place of honor immediately behind the gun carriage bearing the flag-draped casket. In line with the custom of military funerals, the dead officer's boots were in the stirrups, with the toes pointing to the rear. At the grave three volleys were fired by an infantry squad and a bugler sounded the plantive notes of 'tapsTaps"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
.'"
Redden has since been reburied in Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois, USA.
In 1921, one of the columns in Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
thumb|right|300px|Original plan for Memorial Stadium circa 1921. Caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] Magazine, 1921Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Champaign, Illinois, in the United States, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The stadium is dedicated as...
at the University of Illinois was dedicated to Redden. The funds to purchase the column were donated by friends of Redden from his days at Michigan and by the men who served with him in the 149th Field Artillery. The column was dedicated at a ceremony prior the 1921 Michigan-Illinois game. The Michigan Alumnus magazine in November 1921 reported: "This column will stand for all time to perpetuate the memory of Colonel Redden and as a bond of union between the two great universities."
See also
- 1903 College Football All-America Team1903 College Football All-America TeamThe 1903 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...
- Michigan Wolverines Football All-AmericansMichigan Wolverines Football All-AmericansMichigan Wolverines football All-Americans are American football players who have been named as All-Americans while playing for the University of Michigan football team.-Overview:...