Death of Reddington Stunned Former Coach : Reaction: Leuzinger’s Carnes says former quarterback ‘was a great person to be around.’

Leuzinger High football Coach Steve Carnes learned of Mike Reddington’s death after he arrived at school Friday morning.

“I was crushed,” Carnes said. “It was like taking a baseball bat and hitting me between the eyes.”

Reddington, 24, a former all-star quarterback at Leuzinger, was shot and killed Thursday morning at his girlfriend’s apartment in Redondo Beach. The suspect, Charles Holt, 25, is the woman’s former boyfriend. Reddington died instantly after being shot in the head, according to police.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at White and Day Mortuary, 901 Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach.

Carnes remembered Reddington as a gifted athlete who led a troubled life after his graduation from Leuzinger in 1986. Reddington, who abused drugs and alcohol, was jailed several times before serving a six-month prison sentence in 1990 for grand theft.

“Mike had his problems, which are pretty well-known, but Mike was still Mike,” Carnes said. “He was great to coach and a great person to be around.

“There’s a lot of people in shock around here. It’s a tragedy. Mike kept trying to get his life together.

“It’s hard to say what goes on in a person’s mind. He was such a great athlete in high school, I think subconsciously he felt that he had let people down. I used to tell him to take care of himself and not worry about that kind of stuff.”

Reddington was aware of his problems. In an interview with The Times in 1991, several months after his release from prison, Reddington talked about the reasons behind his criminal activity, which mostly involved theft.

“Mainly, it was my drug problem and my alcoholism,” he said. “And it was the people I was hanging around with. It wasn’t that I needed money. I’m an intelligent person. I’m not proud of what I did, but I did it and there’s nothing I can do to change it now. All I can do is go on with my life and pray for the best.”

Dottie Reddington said the youngest of her two sons was making progress in recent months to find steady work and kick his dependency problems.

“He was trying to get his act together,” Mrs. Reddington said. “He slipped like we all do, but I think he was starting to get a pretty good hold on the drug end of it. He still had a problem somewhat with alcohol.”

Mrs. Reddington said Mike had recently worked at different construction jobs and last year had worked for several months at Schultz Steel in South Gate, where her husband, Joe, is employed as a mason.

The problems Reddington experienced as an adult were in sharp contrast to the adulation he enjoyed in high school. As a senior at Leuzinger, he was the most honored football player in the South Bay. He led the Olympians to the 1985 Southern Section Desert-Mountain Conference title and was recognized as the player of the year in the area and in the conference.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was the complete package as a player, starting at quarterback, defensive back and punter. In leading Leuzinger to a 12-1-1 record in 1985, Reddington passed for 1,772 yards and 23 touchdowns, rushed for 948 yards and eight TDs, and had six interceptions, ranking first on the team in all three categories.

“Running or throwing, he could do it all,” Carnes said in 1991. “And, boy, was he tough. I always felt if he couldn’t cut it as a quarterback (in college), he could play outside linebacker or safety because he had a big frame.”

But Reddington’s poor grades prevented him from taking advantage of several college offers, including ones from San Jose State and San Diego State, Carnes said.

Reddington played in his last football game during the summer of 1986. He started at quarterback and helped the West team to victory over the East in the West Torrance Lions All-Star game at El Camino College. He made three attempts to play football at El Camino, but each time he dropped out of school.

Looking back in 1991, Reddington said one of his biggest regrets was not taking schoolwork seriously.

“If you play football or whatever, that’s fine, but get your education,” Reddington said. “Take it as far as you can.”

Said Carnes: “I’m very saddened by the whole thing. I wish I could have done more to help him.”

This is not the first time Carnes has had to cope with the death of a former player. Jim Justice, a former All-Southern Section offensive lineman, died of cancer two years ago when he was a member of El Camino’s football team. Van Erwin, a former Leuzinger linebacker, was killed in a gang-related shooting several years ago.

“This stuff hurts,” Carnes said. “Jim Justice was hard, but we knew he was dying. A lot of our football players have had to go through this. It’s not an easy thing to do.”