Running back Isaac Redman of the Pittsburgh Steelers has traveled from the CIAA to the Super Bowl, a journey not many players make.
Redman is the career rushing leader at Bowie State and had championship-game experience in college, playing in a 2005 CIAA title-game loss to N.C. Central. His next title game will be Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, against the Green Bay Packers.
"I would say it's a little bit of a larger stage," joked Coach Damon Wilson of Bowie State, who was an assistant when Redman played there. "But that kid deserves it because he worked his tail off to get where he is, and all of us here at Bowie State couldn't be prouder."
Redman, who ran for 3,300 yards in college, signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and spent last season on the practice squad. This season he played in every game as Rashard Mendenhall's backup, rushing for 247 yards on 52 carries (4.8 ypc) and catching nine passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
"It doesn't surprise me in the least that he's going to play in the Super Bowl," Wilson said by telephone earlier this week. "Here's a guy that was successful in high school (more than 5,000 yards at Paulsboro High in New Jersey) and was successful in college."
Still, it's not every day that a player from a small Division II school finds a way onto an NFL roster. Wilson said that 2009, the rookie year, was tough for Redman, who was cut from the practice squad three times and then re-signed each time. Wilson said that Redman survived the uncertainty by believing in himself and continuing to work.
"It's tough to make it when you come from a small school," Wilson said.
"Not a lot of people give you much of a chance."
Redman, now 26, had committed to Temple while he was in high school but was charged in a sexual assault the spring of his senior year. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal sexual contact and was given three year's probation, according to published reports.
He got a second chance at Bowie State.
"All he wanted was a chance for an education and to play football again, and he got that," said Wilson, who added that Redman is just one semester shy of completing his degree.
"We've talked about him finishing up those requirements, and it will be a great story when he does."
jdell@wsjournal.com
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