New Bern High School Football Staff Member of the Week: Coach Reddick

"Born, Bread, Dead, Champs!"

- Coach Reddick

The Bears’ are coming off their first playoff win since 2014, after an amazing regular season that saw New Bern finish with a 9-2 record. 

I had a chance to sit down with one of the newest members on staff for the Bears’ this season. He is also a well-known alumnus from the New Bern High School Football Program. 

Coach Reddick is nearing the end of his first season as a coach for high school football. He already achieved the ultimate goal as a player, winning a state championship in 2012 when he was a part of the team that brought home New Bern’s second state title in football. 

“My name is Canden Reddick, born and raised in New Bern, North Carolina. I grew up in an area called Brices Creek. I am family orientated, love my family, family first, always. I was raised right. Treat people right, do things right, you get good.”Coach has made it known that he is a family man that loves his family, not only that but he loves his hometown of New Bern, North Carolina. 

Coach Reddick attended New Bern High School from 2009-2012, when talking about his time here he said, “Well being here at New Bern High School, it was just a winning atmosphere. Like I said we only lost three games from JV all the way up to my varsity year. It was just a winning atmosphere. To lose it was a lot. Somebody really had to be playing hard to lose us.” In four years Reddick only lost three games throughout his high school career.

So what made these teams so special? “We were just bonded. I talk about it all the time, those guys, I still talk to them this day. All of us were just so close. We grew up together, literally. Some didn’t play pop warner but I grew up in the AYFL league, playing football. When we got to middle school we all played each other. So you know, I lost every game in middle school, crazy. Lost every game in middle school, got to high school and we lost three games. I love the boys. We were just well netted, everybody worked together. We weren’t about ourselves, it was a team effort. Everybody worked as a team and got where we needed to go.”They were a special knit group who expected 100 percent from each other. They would go onto win a State Championship in 2012, which would be the second of three for New Bern. 

Coach Reddick would go onto graduate from New Bern High School in 2012. “I played a year at Louisburg College, I had a good time there. It was junior college.”Coach Reddick went on to East Carolina University where he would try and walk on. After a change in coaching, he decided it was best to hang up his cleats. 

“It has been an awesome experience, Coach Nowell gave me a chance. I remember sitting in the barbershop, I was getting my haircut and he comes in. He was sitting there getting his haircut too. I said “Hey Coach, I’m a former Bear, I won a State Championship. I know what it takes to win. Can I be apart of the process? And he was like “sure.” And I was like “when do I need to be there?” So we exchanged information right there, everything right in the barbershop.”After a few years away from football Coach got an opportunity to come back to the game he loved, but this time as a coach. 

He is one of two offensive line coaches and has seen his guys grow each passing week. He had this to say about his guys. “They’re a piece of work. They remind me of when I was here in 2012, when I won the states. My offensive line was big, for a matter of fact it was probably from my sophomore year all the way to my senior year. New Bern has been known for having a big offensive line. It’s rare we have a small offensive line. So, these guys are just bringing back the tradition of big guys at the offensive front and moving people. I am excited about this group of guys.”

Reddick knows what it takes to be successful at the high school level as he played guard here at New Bern High. He had this to say about his time as a player, “First off I would like to thank Coach Curls (Coach Curlings), Coach Curls pulled everything in us. He’s the reason why I coach how I coach now. I played guard but Coach Curls was the reason why I was good. All the plays, everything, workouts, the pregame workouts, the stance starts.” 

Coach Curlings brought home three state championships for football. The only three titles the football program has right now. A special moment for Coach Curlings came earlier this season as the field inside of Caruso Coates Stadium was named after him. When asked about that moment Coach Reddick had this to say, “It just means I did my part. Without all the great guys to come through here from 2006-2017, we did our part. We helped him get there. Coach Curls is the man.” 

“It just felt like the right thing to do. I’ve seen a new coach coming in, I wasn’t too familiar with the previous coaching staff. I ducked my head once a few times, just curious alumni. But this time was different, I felt like it was go time. We needed it, I needed these guys to cause this brought back my love for football. I remember trying to walk-on at East Carolina and it wasn’t working for me. So I gave up my love for football but this definitely rekindled my love for football.”He is now a part of the coaching staff at New Bern High School and is trying to prepare the Bears for a third-round matchup with Cardinal Gibbons.

Congratulations to Coach Reddick on becoming the New Bern High Football Staff Member of the Week! Go Bears!