Ronald Shaw Meyer (February 17, 1941 – December 5, 2017) was an American college and professional football coach. He is best known for having been the head coach of
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = " The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, p ...
, the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.
Biography
Meyer's head coaching career began at
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
(UNLV), then in
Division II, where he led the
Rebels
Rebels may refer to:
* Participants in a rebellion
* Rebel groups, people who refuse obedience or order
* Rebels (American Revolution), patriots who rejected British rule in 1776
Film and television
* ''Rebels'' (film) or ''Rebelles'', a 2019 ...
from
1973 through
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. In
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
, UNLV had an undefeated regular season at 11–0; and advanced to the semifinals (
Grantland Rice Bowl) in the
Division II playoffs.
In January
1976, Meyer was hired as the head coach at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = " The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, p ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
,
where he led the
Mustangs
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once- domesticated animals, t ...
for six seasons. This tenure included winning the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...
championship in
1981 with running backs
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Meth ...
and
Craig James. While at SMU, Meyer was the losing coach in the famous "Miracle Bowl" in the
1980 Holiday Bowl, where
SMU held a 45–25 lead against
BYU with less than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, only to lose 46–45 thanks to three touchdown passes from Cougar quarterback
Jim McMahon
James Robert McMahon Jr. (born August 21, 1959) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played college football at BYU, where he was ...
.
Meyer moved to the pros in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
, where he coached the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
for three seasons. He was named the AFC Coach of the Year in his first season where he led the New England Patriots to the playoffs in the
strike-shortened season after the team had finished with the league's worst record the
prior season. He is perhaps best remembered by New England fans for coaching during the infamous
Snowplow Game
The Snowplow Game was a regular-season game played between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots on December 12, 1982, at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Due to icy conditions, the game remained scoreless until late in the fo ...
against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
on December 12, 1982. Under heavy snow at
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
with 4:45 remaining in the game, the Patriots lined up for a go-ahead field goal. Meyer called for a stadium worker named Mark Henderson (who was on a prison work release) to drive his snowplow on the field in order to clear an area for holder
Matt Cavanaugh to spot the ball and to give kicker
John Smith better footing. The Patriots went on to win the game, 3–0, on their way to their first playoff appearance since the 1978 season.
In
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, Meyer was fired in midseason despite having a 5–3 record and was replaced by
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assist ...
. The move was prompted by team-wide alienation of players on Meyer's part, to where Patriots GM
Patrick Sullivan was forced to hold player-only meetings. Meyer responded by firing assistant coach
Rod Rust
Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to:
Devices
* Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment
* Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority
* Connecting rod, main, coupling ...
, though he did not have authority to do so. He was fired soon after. Rust was rehired by Berry, and the Patriots reached
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
and won the AFC East Division Title in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal en ...
. Rust became head coach upon Berry's resignation after the 1989 season, but was fired after a disastrous 1–15 campaign in 1990.
Meyer spent over a year out of coaching after being dismissed by the Patriots. After initially agreeing to accept the open Head Coach position at his collegiate alma mater,
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...
; Meyer accepted the now vacant Indianapolis Colts head coach position. When he accepted the job late in the 1986 season, the Colts were 0–13 at the time. Meyer promptly led the Colts to 3 straight victories to finish 3–13. A year later, he won the
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buf ...
Division title with the Colts where he once again won the AFC Coach of the Year. Meyer was helped in large part by being reunited with his former college standout,
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Meth ...
, who was acquired by the Colts in a three-team, 10-player trade involving the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...
and
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
.
The Colts did not return to the playoffs under Meyer, slipping by one game in each of the next three seasons, from 9-7 in 1988, to 8–8 in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
and 7–9 in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
, despite the selection of quarterback
Jeff George with the first overall pick in the
1990 draft. He was widely criticized in trading up in the draft to obtain George, which included sending star players, receiver
Andre Rison, lineman
Chris Hinton
Christopher Jerrod Hinton (born July 31, 1961) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts franchise. In addition to his seven seasons with ...
, and the Colts' first round pick in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
to the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...
. George's short-lived stint in Indianapolis did not make matters better. In
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, when the Colts started off 0–5, he was let go.
The year after his dismissal from Indianapolis, Meyer became an analyst for
CNN's Pro Football show. He would remain in that role for two seasons.
In 1994, Meyer returned to coaching again. This time Meyer became the head coach of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
's
Las Vegas Posse franchise. The Posse finished the season 5–13. In addition to the poor record, the team suffered from poor attendance and eventually was caught in an ownership debacle. Meyer was to be fired if the team's proposed move to Mississippi went through, but when it did not, and the Posse's roster was dispersed, the franchise's next potential owners in Miami (see:
Miami Manatees (CFL)) had planned on retaining Meyer as coach, but the team folded before playing a single game. Meyer would return to his role at CNN in 1995.
In 2001, Meyer returned to coaching, this time as part of the
XFL's
Chicago Enforcers franchise. The team would finish 5–5 and would lose to the eventual champion, the
Los Angeles Xtreme, in the league semifinals. After the season, the XFL folded.
In his later years, he was an NFL analyst for the show ''The Score on the NFL'' on the Canadian sports channel
The Score.
Meyer died on December 5, 2017, at age 76 from an
aortic aneurysm
An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain. The prevalence of abdominal aorti ...
while playing golf with friends in
Lakeway, Texas
Lakeway is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,189 at the 2020 census; up from 11,391 in 2010. The city is located next to Lake Travis. It is an exurb in Greater Austin.Brick, Michael.Closing of murder case invo ...
.
Former Patriots, Colts head coach Ron Meyer dies at 76
/ref>
Head coaching record
College
NFL
CFL
XFL
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Don
1941 births
2017 deaths
American football defensive backs
American football quarterbacks
Indianapolis Colts coaches
Chicago Enforcers coaches
Dallas Cowboys scouts
Deaths from aortic aneurysm
New England Patriots coaches
New England Patriots head coaches
Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio
Purdue Boilermakers football coaches
Purdue Boilermakers football players
Purdue University alumni
SMU Mustangs football coaches
Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio
UNLV Rebels football coaches
Indianapolis Colts head coaches