2024
PASSING OF ROGERS REDDING
Rod McLain, President, TASO Football
Fellow Officials,
TASO and football officials across the country lost a good friend this weekend with the passing of Rogers Redding.
Rogers began his officiation career in the late 1960s when he joined the Denton Chapter of SFOA (now TASO), and he worked his very first varsity game at Sanger High School. He later joined the Dallas chapter and then began his collegiate career in the Lone Star Conference. Rogers was a Referee in the Southwest and the Southeastern Conferences and worked three National Championship games during that time.
After retiring from the field, Rogers was Coordinator of Officials in the Southeastern Conference, and then in 2008 was named NCAA Football Secretary‑ Rules editor, a position he held until 2017. He also served as the National Coordinator of College Football Officials from 2011‑ 2019.
While many may not have had the pleasure to meet Rogers, most of us are familiar with The Redding Study Guide To NCAA Football Rules, which he started in 1991 and authored until he was named Secretary‑Rules Editor. Wanting to avoid any potential conflict of interest, he then asked George Demetriou to begin writing the manual.
No matter how high he moved up the officiating ladder, or how far away his profession led him, Rogers always had time to help us all learn and understand the rules and to become better officials. Rogers often traveled back to Texas to teach at our clinics, present at our Annual Meeting or to meet with old friends. And if you ever had a rules question, he was as close as an email away.
Rogers helped all of us become better officials, but perhaps his greatest and lasting legacy is the example he set by remembering where he came from. Rogers was never too proud to reach out and help those that are just starting or are working to move up to get to where he was. An example we should all strive to follow.
Thank you for those lasting lessons, my friend!
