John Douglas Meyers (January 16, 1940 – May 7, 1998) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. He played college football at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Early years

Affectionately known as "Big John", he attended

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

. In 1957, he was an All-state football player and was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, that led his team to the 1958 State

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

Championship. Meyers accepted a basketball scholarship from the

and was soon recruited by Jim Owens to play football as well. He was a two-time Rose Bowl champion. After starting two years at end, he was moved to tackle as a senior. He was the starting right tackle for the Huskies in the 49-6 Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. The next day, he played on the basketball team against the UCLA Bruins. The athletics department created the John Meyers Defensive Player award in his honor for the

teams. He also

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. He also was captain of the 1960 University of Washington National Champion team.

1960 Washington Huskies football team The 1960 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington during the 1960 NCAA University Division football season. Home games were played on campus in Seattle at Husky Stadium. Under fourth-year head coach Jim Owens, W ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Meyers was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round (31st overall) of the

1962 NFL Draft The 1962 National Football League draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The Washington Redskins used the first overall pick of the draft to select running back Ernie Davis, then subsequently traded him ...

and also was selected in the fourth round (25th overall) of the 1962 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. On September 7, he was traded to the

along with

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

Bob Long, in exchange for a third round draft choice (#32-Willie Brown).

Dallas Cowboys

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

, he was named the starter at right defensive tackle opposite Guy Reese. He was part of a

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

called the "Maverick Line", that had 3 rookies and a second-year player. Seven games into the 1963 season, the team switched

Bob Lilly Robert Lewis Lilly (born July 26, 1939), nicknamed "Mr. Cowboy", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle. After playing college football for the TCU Horned Frogs football, TCU Horned Frog ...

from left defensive end to right defensive tackle, relegating him to the bench. On March 20,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, he was traded to the

along with Sam Baker and

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

man Lynn Hoyem, in exchange for wide receiver Tommy McDonald.

Philadelphia Eagles

Meyers was a starter at right defensive tackle in his first two seasons with the

. He was released on August 15,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

Personal life

He married Joanne Rohrbaugh on July 5, 1962. They had two children Kristy and Nicole. On May 7, 1998, he died at the

UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United ...

as he was waiting for a heart transplant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyers, John 1940 births 1998 deaths People from Richland, Washington Players of American football from Washington (state) American football defensive tackles Washington Huskies football players Washington Huskies men's basketball players Dallas Cowboys players Philadelphia Eagles players American men's basketball players