PORTLAND – David Redmond passed away at his home on Nov. 25, surrounded by his family.

He was born in Portland, in 1932, the third son of John J. Redmond and Mary Flaherty Redmond. He attended St. Dominic’s Catholic grammar school and graduated from Portland High in 1951. He attended Portland Junior College, graduated from Ricker College in 1958, and received his masters degree from the University of Southern Maine in 1968.

He started his teaching/coaching career in Mexico in 1958, then accepted a position in 1960, at St. Louis High School in Biddeford, and later moved on to Biddeford High, where he stayed for 15 years. He was a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal and later assistant superintendent for the Biddeford school system.

He coached numerous sports throughout his career, but his first love was football. He was assistant coach at St. Louis when they won the state championship. When he took over the Biddeford high program he led them to two consecutive state championships in 1965 and 1966, and was selected Maine Football Coach of the year.

As president of the Class A Football Conference, he established the first-ever Maine Super Bowl. His Biddeford team won the first Bowl game by beating Bangor High 20-0. He ended his high school football coaching career after this game and with 25 consecutive victories.

In his youth, he was an outstanding baseball pitcher (a southpaw) holding several still-standing records at Portland High School and for the Telegram League. He pitched in the Portland Twilight League before entering high school. He led the Paul Malia Post to several Junior Legion Titles.

After his junior year in high school he joined his brother Jack in playing semi-pro baseball for the Sidney Mines team in Nova Scotia. After college, he played for another semi-pro league team with his brother Dick in Woodstock, New Brunswick, and then for a team in St. George, Quebec, before being drafted for the Korean War by the U.S. Army. He was offered a bonus by several major league baseball teams, but the Army draft took precedence.

In 1952, he entered the U.S. Army and served 13 months in Korea. While there he received the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, The Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of Korea, and several other medals of honor.

After his career in education, he entered the arena of Maine politics. He was appointed by Governor Curtis to the Maine Board of Education in 1972. In 1974, he was elected to the Governor’s Council representing York and Oxford counties, where he served as vice-chairman. In 1975, he was appointed by Governor Longley to the Parole Board and State Board of Executive Clemency, both for which he was elected chairman.

He was later appointed Chief of Staff for Gov. Joseph E. Brennan, where he served for several years. A skillful administrator of many key Maine state departments and agencies, he was loved for his sense of humor and respected for his knowledge and thoughtful decision making. As a popular political leader himself, he subsequently campaigned for governor in 1986, losing in the Democratic primary. He later served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Brennan in Washington, D.C., in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Always the athlete, he continued to be a competitor into his 60s winning several medals in the Senior Olympics. One honor that he was especially proud of was the dedication in 1997 of two youth league football fields in his name.