Dave Meggyesy
Encyclopedia
David Michael Meggyesy (born November 1, 1941, in Cleveland, Ohio
) is a former American football
player, author, and union organizer. He played college football
at Syracuse University
, and was drafted
by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 17th round of the 1963 NFL Draft
, where he was a linebacker
for seven seasons. He became involved in civil rights and anti-war activities while with the Cardinals. After leaving the team, he wrote Out of Their League, a controversial memoir about his experiences in football. He later taught courses in the sociology of sport
s, coached high school football, and became a union representative for the National Football League Players Association.
, Ohio
, where his father was a machinist and union organizer
. When he was five his family moved to Glenwillow, Ohio
, where, says Meggyesy, he "was, literally, raised on a pig farm next to a dynamite factory." At Solon High School
, in Solon, Ohio
, he played football and other sports. He then attended Syracuse University
on an athletic scholarship.
During his early years in the NFL, Meggyesy was a graduate student in sociology at Washington University
.
, where he wrote his bestselling memoir, Out of Their League. According to the San Jose Mercury News
, the book was "the first critical look at the dehumanizing aspects of pro football." In 1973, Meggyesy was a co-founder of the Esalen Sports Center. After living in Colorado for several years, Meggesey's family returned to California. He began teaching courses at Stanford University
, including Sports Consciousness and Social Change, and The Athlete and Society.
In 1980, while still teaching part-time at Stanford, he was hired as head football coach at Tamalpais High School
, in Mill Valley, California
. His son was one of three seniors on the varsity team, which had gone 2–8 the year before. In 1990, they were 0–11. Meggyesy later said, "We went 0-11, but it was a great experience to see them mature and gain confidence even when we were losing. High school football is football in its purest form. It struck me what a crucible for learning it was."
He was then hired by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) as Western Regional Director. He retired in 2007.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, author, and union organizer. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 17th round of the 1963 NFL Draft
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1962.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, where he was a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for seven seasons. He became involved in civil rights and anti-war activities while with the Cardinals. After leaving the team, he wrote Out of Their League, a controversial memoir about his experiences in football. He later taught courses in the sociology of sport
Sociology of sport
Sociology of sport, alternately referred to as sports sociology, is a sub-discipline of sociology which focuses on sports as social phenomena. It is an area of study concerned with various socio-cultural structures, patterns, and organizations or groups involved with sport.There are many...
s, coached high school football, and became a union representative for the National Football League Players Association.
Early life and education
Meggyesy was born in ClevelandCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where his father was a machinist and union organizer
Union organizer
A union organizer is a specific type of trade union member or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers....
. When he was five his family moved to Glenwillow, Ohio
Glenwillow, Ohio
Glenwillow is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 923 at the 2010 census.-History:The Village of Glenwillow was carved out of Solon Township and established in 1893 as a company town by Austin Powder Company. As the population in surrounding areas, particularly the...
, where, says Meggyesy, he "was, literally, raised on a pig farm next to a dynamite factory." At Solon High School
Solon High School
Solon High School, founded in 1898, is a public high school located in Solon, Ohio, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States....
, in Solon, Ohio
Solon, Ohio
Solon is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and is an affluent suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,348...
, he played football and other sports. He then attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
on an athletic scholarship.
During his early years in the NFL, Meggyesy was a graduate student in sociology at Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
.
Post-NFL career
Meggyesy spent four months in 1970 at Jack Scott's Institute for the Study of Sport and Society in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, where he wrote his bestselling memoir, Out of Their League. According to the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
, the book was "the first critical look at the dehumanizing aspects of pro football." In 1973, Meggyesy was a co-founder of the Esalen Sports Center. After living in Colorado for several years, Meggesey's family returned to California. He began teaching courses at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, including Sports Consciousness and Social Change, and The Athlete and Society.
In 1980, while still teaching part-time at Stanford, he was hired as head football coach at Tamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises more than above Mill Valley....
, in Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
. His son was one of three seniors on the varsity team, which had gone 2–8 the year before. In 1990, they were 0–11. Meggyesy later said, "We went 0-11, but it was a great experience to see them mature and gain confidence even when we were losing. High school football is football in its purest form. It struck me what a crucible for learning it was."
He was then hired by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) as Western Regional Director. He retired in 2007.
External links
- David Meggyesy, President, bio at Athletes United for Peace
- David Meggyesy contributor profile at Integral Life