 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1920-08-14)August 14, 1920 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 1998(1998-05-28) (aged 77) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1940–1942 | Tennessee |
| 1943 | 300th Infantry |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1945 | Fort Benning |
| 1947–1950 | Maryland (backfield) |
| 1951–1954 | Kansas State |
| 1955–1956 | Houston |
| 1957–1961 | SMU |
| 1966–1967 | Army (OC) |
| 1968–1973 | Utah |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 81–93–7 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1MVC (1956) | |
| Awards | |
| MVC Coach of the Year (1956) | |
William Meridas Meek (August 14, 1920 – May 28, 1998)[1] was anAmerican football player and coach. He served as the head football coach atKansas State University from 1951 to 1954, theUniversity of Houston from 1955 to 1956,Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1957 to 1961), and theUniversity of Utah from 1968 to 1973.
Meek was born inWaterbury, Connecticut, to Joseph A. Meek and Josephine E. Gaudiosi.[1] His paternal grandmother was born in Germany, while his maternal grandparents emigrated from Italy.[2] His family moved toBirmingham, Alabama, in his youth. In college, he earned threeletters playing as a back-up quarterback for theUniversity of Tennessee; he graduated in 1943.
Meek had his first head coaching experience at age 22, with theFort Benning Doughboy football club in 1944, while serving in the Army duringWorld War II. Most of the starters on the team were members of the greatArmy teams of the early 1940s, and the team defeated all opponents except for a 0–7 loss toAuburn University.Marty Blake, later theNBA director of scouting, was one of the team managers.[3] Following the war, Meek left the Army with the rank ofcaptain.
Meek served as an assistant football coach throughout the remainder of the 1940s. From 1947 to 1950, he coached underJim Tatum at theUniversity of Maryland.[4][5] During his tenure there, Meek was credited with the development of backsEd Modzelewski andBob Shemonski.[5]
In 1951, Meek was offered his first collegiate head coaching position atKansas State University with an initial salary of $8,000.[5] Meek was offered the job even though he told the hiring committee at Kansas State that the program was in disarray. His first season, he posted a 1–7–1 record, typical for Kansas State at the time. When he learned after the season that an ineligible player had participated, he self-reported the violation to the NCAA, and the school voluntarily forfeited the win and the tie. The following season, the squad went 1–9. Meek accepted the services of several former Army players who resigned from the academy after violating thehonor code in 1951. In 1953, Kansas State posted a 6–3–1 record, the first winning season at the school sinceWes Fry's 1936 team. After starting that season 5–1, K-State also received its first national ranking, at #18 in theCoaches Poll on October 28, 1953. The following year was even better, with Kansas State posting a 7–3 record and playing for anOrange Bowl berth in their final game (they went on to lose at Colorado). Meek left Kansas State following the 1954 season, when the school refused to give raises to his assistants. Kansas State wouldn't have another winning record for 16 years.
In January 1955, Meek took over as the head coach at theUniversity of Houston. In two years at Houston, from 1955 to 1956, Meek compiled a 13–6–1 record. During his second season, Meek led the Cougars to theMissouri Valley Conference championship and was named the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year.
In 1957, Meek took the job as head coach of theSMU Mustangs. During his tenure, from 1957 to 1961, he compiled a 17–29–4 record, while coaching All-American quarterbackDon Meredith. By far his worst season at SMU was 1960, when his team went 0–9–1, with the only game decided by less than 10 points being a 0–0 tie withTexas A&M.
From 1962 to 1967, Meek worked as an assistant coach, including stints as Director of Pro Personnel for theDenver Broncos and as a scout for theDallas Cowboys. Meek was offensive coordinator for Army during the 1966 and 1967 seasons.
Meek took his final coaching job in1968, as head coach at theUniversity of Utah inSalt Lake City. He guided theWAC team to a 33–31 record in six seasons, and his1969 team posted an8–2 record. Six weeks after the Utes'1973 season ended, Meek resigned inJanuary1974.[6] and assistant coachTom Lovat, an alumnus, was promoted.
Meek died on May 28, 1998.[7]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Benning Doughboys(Independent)(1945) | |||||||||
| 1945 | Fort Benning | 4–3–1[n 1] | |||||||
| Fort Benning: | 4–3–1 | ||||||||
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Seven Conference)(1951–1954) | |||||||||
| 1951 | Kansas State | 0–9* | 0–6* | 7th | |||||
| 1952 | Kansas State | 1–9 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1953 | Kansas State | 6–3–1 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1954 | Kansas State | 7–3 | 3–3 | 5th | |||||
| Kansas State: | 14–24–1 | 7–17 | |||||||
| Houston Cougars(Missouri Valley Conference)(1955–1956) | |||||||||
| 1955 | Houston | 6–4 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1956 | Houston | 7–2–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| Houston: | 13–6–1 | 6–2 | |||||||
| SMU Mustangs(Southwest Conference)(1957–1961) | |||||||||
| 1957 | SMU | 4–5–1 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1958 | SMU | 6–4 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1959 | SMU | 5–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1960 | SMU | 0–9–1 | 0–6–1 | 8th | |||||
| 1961 | SMU | 2–7–1 | 1–5–1 | 8th | |||||
| SMU: | 17–29–4 | 10–19–3 | |||||||
| Utah Redskins/Utes(Western Athletic Conference)(1968–1973) | |||||||||
| 1968 | Utah | 3–7 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1969 | Utah | 8–2 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1970 | Utah | 6–4 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1971 | Utah | 3–8 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1972 | Utah | 6–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1973 | Utah | 7–5 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Utah: | 33–31 | 23–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 81–93–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| *1951 season record reflects voluntary forfeits by the school. |
