East Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame
Basketball • 1938-41
W.J. "Sleepy" Redwine led the Lions to two Lone Star Conference basketball titles and a 49-25 record over his three seasons at ETSTC under fellow Lion Hall of Fame coach Dennis Vinzant.
In 1940, Redwine's "scoring proficiency" was the key to the Lions winning the Amateur Athletic Union championship in Dallas and traveling to the NAIB tournament in Kansas City. In 1941, he was the leading scorer at the AAU, winning Texas All-Star Team recognition.
After college, Redwine turned down an offer from the Chicago Bulls of the NBA to pursue a career in the US Navy. During World War II, he flew 114 combat missions in the Pacific, participating in five major campaigns. He was awarded seven Battle Stars. After the war, his postwar assignments included various staff and command jobs, including staff air intelligence officer on the battleships Missouri, Wisconsin and New Jersey. He retired from the Navy in 1968.
