Coaching icon Jim Redel passes away

Former Corning High School teacher and coach, Jim Redel, passed away on June 25 in Cedar Rapids after a short illness. He was 90 and had resided in Anamosa for many years. Redel taught and coached at CHS from 1969-1974, and was known for his success coaching football and track at the school. He had also taught and coached at Calmar, Fayette, Cresco, West Union, and Forest City where he coached former governor Terry Branstad.

Redel revived the Corning football program. The Red Raider program had been struggling in the Hawkeye 7 Conference before he arrived. The Hawkeye 7 was comprised of schools much larger than Corning, but the school joined the Tall Corn Conference in Redel’s second year. Redel’s leadership and the conference change led to instant success with his football squads going 37-9 over his 5 years at the helm. The individual seasons went 5-5, 8-1, 9-0, 7-2, and 8-1.

The 1971 undefeated team was named the Class 2A state champions by The Des Moines Register, the year before the state playoffs started. That 1971 team celebrated its 50th anniversary last September which Coach Redel was able to attend. The celebration included being part of the Homecoming parade with a reception at The Winery in Corning.

The team was also introduced at halftime of the Southwest Valley homecoming scrimmage with coach and player introductions and a recap of that magical season to an appreciative crowd. “It was fantastic,” Redel said about the homecoming celebration. “I don’t know how it could have been any better.”

Master Psychologist and Innovator

Redel was a motivator. People wanted to play for him and to give their best to not let their coaches and fellow players down. Former player Beech Turner recalled that “Coach had the knack of identifying your potential and motivating you to reach it. He was great at plugging you in where you fit best to use your talents and help the team.”

Redel was an innovator too. He instituted before-school weight training which was fairly novel at the time. With a few exceptions, he used a platoon approach by having separate players on offense and defense, bringing fresher players into the game after each change of possession.

Redel did not believe in scrimmaging much during the season, wanting players healthy and itching to be physical for games on Friday nights. Towards the end of the 1970 season, his players begged to have the first team offense scrimmage the first team defense. When the coach relented, afterwards players on both sides of the ball commented that that was the best team they had faced all year.

Redel also introduced a “unity circle” formation for calisthenics before practices and games with leaders in the middle. He also introduced the “standing huddle” with the quarterback facing teammates which is the rule in today’s game. He also acquired new uniforms including bright, all-red versions for home games and helmet stickers awarded for stellar play.

Keeping with the red theme, and the “Go Big Red” cheers, his players recalled that Redel would periodically deliver pre-game pep-talks featuring the character “Big Red” as the hero. He would always end the story with the announcement to the team that “Big Red is a comin,’” resulting in the team exploding with deafening enthusiasm as it headed to the field.

Redel also wasn’t adverse to messing with an opponent psychologically. Former player, Eric Turner recalled a favorite memory about certain special home games. “Coach Redel had our team warm-up at the baseball field across town from the Fairgrounds, leaving the opposing team to warm up alone on the football field without the typical pre-game ritual of sizing up one’s competition. Our off-site warm up was in total silence. When finished, we were bussed to the Fairgrounds immediately before kickoff, and when we ran onto the field, the team and the crowd went nuts. It gave us an instant advantage.”

Positive impact on the community

With the almost immediate success of Redel’s teams, the Corning community rallied around and followed them enthusiastically. In a 2018 Corning Alumni News article, Coach Redel reflected on the other important elements that led to success. “In Corning, the 1970s were truly unreal. It was not just an athletic thing, but it was the entire Corning community getting on board.” He also paid tribute to his assistant coaches, the cheerleaders, and school district leadership that helped make this success possible.

Fans turned out in droves for home games with many traveling to road games too. The Adams County Free Press provided extensive coverage and even published a special edition about the team during Redel’s first year. In the latter stages of the 1970 season, Corning hosted a Top 10 game against Lenox, and the turnout was so large that fans not only filled the stands but the overflow completely ringed the field.

Downtown businesses also supported the football program by allowing the Corning cheerleaders to decorate their windows up and down Main Street before games. There could be no doubt that a game was imminent by driving up and down the street.

“I taught in several schools and the Corning cheerleaders were head and shoulders above the rest,” Redel said in the article. “They went far beyond just being cheerleaders.  Game day was really special.  The halls were decorated and each team member had something special on his locker- a note, a wish or a trinket - something that said ‘play well.’  Pep assemblies really brought everyone together, and they created a winning attitude within the school.”

Golden Age of Corning Athletics

When Redel came to Corning in 1969, wrestling coach John Harris had already created one of the strongest wrestling programs in the state, and coupled with Coach Percy Stielow’s hiring a year later, the school and the community subsequently enjoyed a decade of unprecedented multi-sport success.

While Redel is mostly known for his football success at Corning, his track teams were the best in Southwest Iowa at the time, regularly winning invitational, conference and district meets. His 1972 team finished runner-up at the state meet. Redel’s track program started what was to be several years of track dominance. All this excellence was initially achieved without a track and field facility. CHS runners used a paved street adjacent to the Adams County Fairgrounds to practice on with the Corning track program affectionately known as the John Street Track Club.

Redel’s football teams won or shared the Tall Corn Conference championship every year he coached in the league. During the 1973-1974 school year, Redel’s final year at Corning, the school won the conference championship in every sport it participated, an unprecedented accomplishment that was also featured in The Des Moines Register.

Leaving a lasting legacy

But Redel’s legacy during his short time in Corning involved more than wins and losses. The biggest component of Redel’s lasting legacy in Corning is the impact he had on his former players, many of which felt he changed their lives for the better. Several of them gathered at Redel’s recent Celebration of Life service in Anamosa, and shared their thoughts on what Coach Redel meant to them.

“Coach was genuine,” remembers former player Tony Mack. “He cared about you, and you trusted him and wanted to give your best.” Redel loved to tell the story about Mack, who started at guard in the coach’s last season at the school. Tony had shoulder problems, and had to wear a brace on his bad shoulder the season before which eventually required off-season surgery.

During a big game the next year, Mack injured his other shoulder and had to leave the field. He got his dad’s attention in the stands and had him run home and get his shoulder brace so he could continue to play. Redel said Mack reflected the “never give up” spirit of the team.

Son and former player Denny Redel reflected that his dad preached winning the fourth quarter and wearing the opponent down. “We ran a lot of wind sprints during practice, and we were in better shape. It helped us win some big games when we scored late.”

“Our mantra was ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going,’” said former player Scott Parcher. “He preached preparation and mental toughness.”

Son and former player Gary Redel recalled, “Dad was competitive about every thing he did whether it was coaching high school sports, playing golf or playing bridge. He liked to win, but whether you won or lost he expected your best effort in everything you did in life.” “Coach made everybody feel apart of the team,” said former player Dan Jones. “He found ways to help you succeed. He influenced me to play college ball and then become a coach and make it my life’s work.”

Former player Dave Walter also felt Redel’s influence by eventually becoming Corning’s head football coach in the early 2000s. “Coach had a big impact on me and I used several of his ideas including the unity circle during warmups. He was a huge influence.”

“Coach Redel would have loved to see the turnout of his former players at his memorial service,” Beech Turner commented. “Especially all the love and appreciation we have for one another. It was a great way to honor him and he would have been pleased.”