When Metro-East Lutheran hosts its annual college signing day, it is one of retiring athletic director Dave Redden’s most favorite moments.
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This past season, eight Metro-East Lutheran seniors participated in the signing day. One student will receive $150,000 in discounts because of an athletic scholarship to a college. Redden was all smiles during the event as it stands for something he is all about – helping kids move on to bigger and better things and a good quality of life after they leave the school.
Redden has been athletic director, coach and teacher at MELHS for 17 years. He has decided at age 64 to retire.
“Metro-East Lutheran as a school has many good points,” he said. “Everyone here is like a family. I will miss the faculty and kids, but I am looking forward to retirement.”
Dave’s direction to coaching and teaching comes naturally as his father, Bill, was a long-time coach/teacher at Roxana.
“I ran track and cross country for my dad at Roxana,” he said. “Then I ran in college at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.”
One thing Redden has always emphasized with the kids is that none of them will likely be professional athletes, but they can have fun, stay fit and possibly be able to pay for some of their college education through sports. He has always emphasized the importance of academics.
Redden takes a lot of pride that MELHS and Madison are coming together to play a joint football program this fall. He said the move likely saved Metro-East Lutheran’s football program because participation at the school has been low in recent years. Madison does not have a football program, so this allows many of the exceptional Madison track athletes to also play football. Madison has not had a football program since 1992. Already, turnout for the football program seems to be high between the two schools in summer weightlifting sessions.
“I hope part of my legacy will go down to starting the cooperative agreement between Madison and Metro East Lutheran for football,” he said. “We tried to do this for track and field, but haven’t worked that out yet.”
Redden said he always pushed the importance of classroom to students because without the acdemic part of education, “you are not going to make it in the world."
In his time at MELHS, the school added bowling, wreslting, Scholastic Bowl and boys’ volleyball.
He said his track teams produced 15 state medalist and three state medalists in cross country, so his knowledge of those sports paid off for MELHS students. In 2008, under his direction the school received lights for its football and soccer fields.
Rob Stock replaces Redden as athletic director as of July 1 and Redden expects him to do an excellent job.
“I have good expectations for Rob,” Redden said.
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