At 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg), Reddell played end under head coach Bud Wilkinson from 1950 to 1952.

Soon after graduation, Reddell found his first head coaching position at DeKalb High School in Northeast Texas.

Despite a 9–2 in his first season, Reddell moved back to Texas, taking over as inaugural head football coach at newly opened Palo Duro High School in Amarillo.

[5] In 1976, Reddell became head coach at Trinity High School in Euless, a suburb of Dallas, Texas.

While at Trinity, Reddell's teams won nine district titles and made the playoffs thirteen times.