The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorn Legend Cory Redding to be enshrined in Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame (Updated: Postponed)
01.10.2020 | Football
All-American defensive end, Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP and 13-year NFL vet helped lead Texas to a victory over LSU in 2003 Cotton Bowl Classic.
As an addendum to the below article, the enshrinement ceremony, which had been scheduled for May 6, has been postponed due to public health concerns as a result of the COVID-19 virus.
Heading into the 2003 Cotton Bowl Classic, Texas' senior defensive end Cory Redding had one goal in mind – finish strong.
"That was my last game at Texas; my last opportunity to put on that Longhorn helmet, to wear that burnt orange jersey and to run out of the tunnel with my teammates that had been my brothers for four years," Redding said. "To be a part of all the tradition, it was very special to me, and I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I just wanted to go out there and have a great game."
A Houston native, Redding did more than have a great game, putting together one of most inspiring defensive performances for a Longhorn in Cotton Bowl Classic history, registering eight tackles (five solo), four tackles for loss (-23 yards) and one sack. The effort helped guide ninth-ranked Texas back from an early 10-point deficit to a 35-20 victory over LSU, capping off Redding's Longhorn career by earning Outstanding Defensive Player honors for his dominating performance.
The two-time All-American, two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection and three-year starter will soon add another accolade to his resume, as Redding was recently announced as a member of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 to be enshrined this spring. Redding becomes the 12th Longhorn to earn that honor.
"It's a huge honor for me," Redding said. "The Cotton Bowl is one of those timeless bowl games. The richness and the history of playing out on that field for that game, in that iconic stadium, regardless of who our opponent was, that was special. Every player who has an opportunity to play in that bowl game, it's the opportunity of a lifetime."
At the outset, it appeared as if LSU were in position to upset Texas, dominating a first quarter that saw UT run only three offensive plays. The lone bright spot for the Longhorns occurred when Redding drove past a blocker to sack Tigers quarterback Marcus Randall, forcing a fumble that was scooped up by linebacker Lee Jackson who dashed 46 yards for the first fumble return for a touchdown in Classic history.
By three minutes into the second frame, LSU had built a 17-7 lead, but the momentum quickly shifted from there. After gaining 287 yards on their first four possessions, the Tigers would only muster 154 yards the rest of the game. Redding's mantra of "We Can, We Will, We Must," inspired teammates to meet the challenge and leave nothing on the field.
"We just said, 'Enough is enough. Let's put our foot down and get a stop, then come out and get another stop. Don't look at the scoreboard; let's just keep fighting,'" Redding recalled. "Our coordinator and defensive line coach made some adjustments, which put me in a position where I could be even more effective. I was able to set the edge and force my will on my opponent, and I was able to play to the level that I knew I could play at."
As the Longhorn defense locked down the Tigers, junior wide receiver Roy Williams, quarterback Chris Simms and the Texas offense caught fire, scoring 28-straight points to put the game away.
With the win, Texas finished the season 11-2, posting consecutive 11-win seasons for the first time in school history, and the Longhorns collected the program's 11th Field Scovell Trophy as champions of the Cotton Bowl Classic, the most of any program.
The game marked a sign of things to come. Texas would win 11 or more games four times over the next seven seasons, and never fewer than 10 in a season, reaching four Bowl Championship Series games, two National Championship games and winning the 2005 BCS National Championship.
"I was a part of that tradition, part of that mindset, something they coach at UT. I made an impact and played a part in getting Texas back to the national championship, setting the path for what happened in 2005 and 2009," Redding said. "The young guys came in and followed behind us, carried the torch, because that's what we had to do when I arrived '99; we carried the torch from the guys before us – the Rickys, the Earls – that's what you want to see as an alum. That guys are going out there and fighting, keeping the Longhorn tradition for the man who comes up next and the one that came before you."
Overall, Redding totaled 57 career tackles for loss, the second-most in UT history at the time and still currently ranks fourth. The four he registered in the 2003 Cotton Bowl are the most by a Longhorn in the game's history. His 22 sacks are tied for 12th in Longhorn history. As a senior in 2002, Redding posted 76 tackles, including 24 tackles for loss (No. 3 on the UT all-time single-season list), 8.5 sacks, and 37 quarterback pressures (No. 8 on the UT single-season list) on the way to earning first-team All-America honors, as well as being named a finalist for the Lombardi Award.
Redding was selected in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played 13 NFL seasons, spending the first six years of his career in Detroit before playing a year in Seattle (2009), two (2010-11) with the Baltimore Ravens and three (2012-14) with the Indianapolis Colts. A defensive tackle in the NFL, he played in 188 career games (147 starts), registering 420 tackles, 35.5 sacks, two safeties, two interceptions and forcing four fumbles (one returned for a TD).
Redding's leadership qualities translated into academics and community service where he utilized football as a platform to mentor youth and lend a helping hand to many. In 2012, Redding and his wife, Priscilla, donated $100,000 to establish the Cory and Priscilla Redding Family Scholarship in the College of Education at The University of Texas. After his 13-year NFL career he returned to UT and completed his degree in Youth and Community Studies in the College of Education in the Spring of 2017. The first recipients of the Redding Family Scholarship also graduated in that class.
A 2014 Longhorn Hall of Honor inductee, Redding lives in Austin where he established The Cory Redding Foundation to support quality educational, recreational, and community assistance programs that promote the development of at-risk youth. He is involved in a number of business ventures, spent a season as a commentator for Longhorn GameDay on Longhorn Network, regularly shares his inspirational messages as a featured speaker and is very active in the Longhorn community.
"No matter where I go in the community, if folks see the T-ring on my finger, they go, 'Oh my gosh, you played at UT,' and talking with them, it takes you down memory lane," Redding said. "It feels good to know that during that four-year period of my life, I made an impact on people's lives.
"Those were some of the best years of my life; I grew up a lot here. Those years mean a lot to me, and that's why I chose to retire to Austin, that's why I chose to move my family here."
And later this spring, Redding will be further honored and remembered for a spectacular bowl game performance as a member of the 2020 class of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
