Redell played quarterback at San Marino High School in San Marino, California, earning a scholarship from the University of Southern California (USC), but later transferred to play at Occidental College, in 1962 and 1963.[3] In his two years at Occidental he passed for 1,567 yards and rushed for 1,583. He passed for 11 touchdowns and rushed for eight. He completed 68 percent of pass attempts. He averaged 6.3 yards on each rushing attempt. He played cornerback on defense and had seven pass interceptions in his career. He did the team's punting and place kicking, making 36 of 43 extra-point attempts. He led Occidental to two championships in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was named to the NAIA All-America team in 1963.