Chris Redman’s first season coaching the Louisville Kings has turned into a reunion with a clear purpose. The former Ravens quarterback has built a staff around four ex-teammates from Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV team, and now the group is one win away from a UFL title.
Redman is leading the Kings into Saturday’s championship game against the defending champion D.C. Defenders at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The game will air on ESPN and ABC, with kickoff set for 3 p.m.
A Ravens-heavy staff in Louisville
Redman’s coaching staff includes Jamie Sharper as defensive coordinator, Chris McAlister as defensive backs coach, Tony Banks as wide receivers coach, and Brad Jackson as linebackers coach. On The Lounge podcast, Redman said the setup has felt familiar in the best possible way.
“We are having a ball, man. It feels like I’m back in the locker room again,” Redman said. “Once you play and bleed and sweat with somebody, you trust them. They’re doing an incredible job.”
The connection runs deep beyond the sideline. Redman spent four seasons in Baltimore from 2000 to 2003, while all four assistants also share roots in the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV run.
From a rough start to a championship chance
Louisville opened the season 0-3, but the Kings recovered fast and won six of their final seven regular-season games. Two of those wins came against the Defenders, the same team they now face again for the title.
The Kings then beat the St. Louis Battlehawks 29-20 in last week’s playoff semifinals to reach the championship game. That turnaround has given Redman a strong first impression as a head coach in professional football.
The opportunity came after the UFL announced an expansion team in Louisville last October and contacted Redman, who was hired last December. He said coaching a pro team in his hometown made the decision an easy one.
“This opportunity came up to coach for a professional team in my home city of Louisville. I was like, ‘Absolutely, man,'” Redman said. “It’s kind of my calling. I knew I would like [coaching]. I didn’t know I would like it this much. It has been an incredible year.”
Redman’s path back to the game
Redman retired in 2011 after eight seasons as an NFL quarterback. In Baltimore, he spent time backing up Elvis Grbac, won the starting job for the first six games of 2002, and later served as Kyle Boller’s backup in 2003.
He also became a memorable figure for Ravens fans after a standout win over the Cleveland Browns and for wearing Johnny Unitas-inspired black high-top cleats to honor the Baltimore Colts legend shortly after Unitas died. Redman and Unitas both played at the University of Louisville, and Redman won the Johnny Unitas Award after his senior season.
“That was something I’ll never forget,” Redman said of the cleats. “That’s a guy (Unitas) that I do want to be like. He was a special human being that I’ll never forget.”
After leaving Baltimore, Redman bounced around for a couple of years before joining the Atlanta Falcons, where he extended his NFL career for five more seasons. He said Atlanta suited him better because it matched the shotgun-heavy offense he knew from college, unlike the scheme he often played in with the Ravens.
“Timing is everything in the NFL,” Redman said. “I was blessed to play until I was 35 years old. That’s a long time in the NFL. I had an incredible career. It’s never the exact career for most guys that you really hoped it would be.
“But Baltimore was a very fun time. I enjoyed the city and enjoyed everything about it. Being part of the Super Bowl was amazing and I’ll never forget it.”
