The Louisville Kings joined the United Football League in October 2025 and made history by winning the UFL championship in their inaugural 2026 season with the help of head coach Chris Redman.
Redman, 48, recruited four of his teammates from the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV championship team to assist in leading the Kings to the championship: defensive coordinator Jamie Sharper, wide receivers coach Tony Banks, linebackers coach Brad Jackson and defensive backs coach Chris McAlister.
“We picked it up right where we left it off,” Redman said on Glenn Clark Radio June 15. “We have an incredible relationship. I feel like I’m back in the locker room again, which I kind of was. It was an incredible experience. I’m really happy that I put that group together. They’re a special group of coaches and people. We didn’t want to be good, we wanted to dominate on defense. That’s just inherited from the mentality of that 2000 team and I knew they would do that.”
Redman spent four seasons with the Ravens as a reserve quarterback after being drafted in the third round in 2000. Redman appeared in just two games with the championship team in 2000, but he started six games in 2002. He went 3-3 and threw for 1,034 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Similar to the 2000 Baltimore team, Louisville went on a three-game losing streak prior to a long winning streak to end the season. In 2000, the Ravens had a 5-1 record heading into Week 7 against Washington, but that game resulted in a seven-point loss. That triggered a three-game losing streak. They bounced back to end the regular season with a 12-4 record.
The Kings began their inaugural season losing their first three games but ended the season at 6-4. Louisville went on to defeat the St. Louis Battlehawks, 29-20, in the semifinals and then faced the D.C. Defenders in the United Bowl.
The Kings came back from a 16-7 halftime deficit against the Defenders, taking a narrow 19-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Louisville came out on top, 27-20, at Audi Field on June 13, making history by winning the United Bowl in their first season.
“We got rid of the guys that weren’t team players and we went to a group of guys that put the team first and I think that really made a big difference,” Redman said. “That’s where we kind of changed the culture. All the coaches were bought in and the players bought in right afterward, once they saw that this is what it’s going to take to make this team.”
Redman is the son of Bob Redman, who was the head football coach at five high schools in Kentucky before retiring in 2010. Bob served more than 35 years as a coach, winning more than 300 games. He won three state titles at Louisville Male High School with six championship game appearances.
Redman says his father always wanted him to get into coaching. When Redman decided to join the Kings as head coach, his dad was excited.
“He was a big inspiration and the reason I’m here today for sure is because of him,” Redman said. “He helped me through a lot of decisions. It’s great to have your dad there. He’s a heck of a mind.”
“I put him in the category of Ray Lewis,” he added. “[They’re] two of the best motivators I’ve ever been around.”
The Louisville native said that bringing a championship to his hometown turned out to be a bigger deal than he thought after seeing how many people supported him and the team.
“I was a third generation to play at Louisville so to me, this is a special place, and even extra special to bring a trophy,” Redman said.
For more from Redman, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Louisville Kings