Mel Meeks (born c. 1935) was a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Career

A native of

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...

, Meeks never played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

and began his professional career relatively late in life after playing for a team on the

Westover Air Reserve Base Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Established at the outset of World War II, today Westo ...

during his time in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

.''Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s''
By William J. Ryczek. He spent his entire career in

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

s, beginning his career with the

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

Merchants/Knights before signing on with the

Springfield Acorns The Springfield Acorns were a minor league American football team based in Springfield, Massachusetts. They began play in the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1963. The Acorns played their homes games in Pynchon Park. Following the 1964 season ...

of the

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with National Football Leagu ...

in 1963. He played two years there, including the 1964 season when he rushed for a league-record 1,460 yards.Dr. Ken (September 2013)
ONE DEFINITION OF "MINOR LEAGUE" FOOTBALL, PART TWO
. ''HelmetHut.com''. Retrieved September 10, 2015. He then moved back to Holyoke, joining the now-renamed Bombers as they joined the ACFL. In 1966, Meeks moved to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

and played for the

Hartford Charter Oaks The Hartford Charter Oaks were a professional American football team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They began play in 1964 as a member of the Atlantic Coast Football League, replacing the Ansonia Black Knights. In 1965 the Charter Oaks were one ...

of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fo ...

. When the Charter Oaks disbanded in 1967, he remained in Connecticut and became a charter member of its replacement, the Hartford Knights of the ACFL. 1968 would prove to be another high point for Meeks's career; as part of a tandem with fullback

Marv Hubbard Marvin Ronald Hubbard (May 7, 1946 – May 4, 2015) was an American professional football fullback who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Col ...

(who would later go on to a three-time Pro Bowl career with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

), the two would finish first and second in league rushing yardage as the Knights went onto that year's league championship. Meeks would continue to play minor professional football until 1970. Meeks was a power runner who amassed 4,198 yards over the course of his six seasons in the ACFL and an additional 512 yards with the Charter Oaks. There was much speculation as to why Meeks never made it to the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

, even as the existence of the latter league had expanded the number of opportunities for professional players (at least one contemporary report suggests he did have a preseason stint with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, but he never made that team or any other's regular season roster).The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa - Page 20
/ref> Most commonly cited are his relatively old age at the peak of his success, a perceived lack of quickness, and his lack of college football experience; some unnamed teammates also alleged Meeks, who was black, was the victim of racism, and his generally modest personality may have prevented him from fully promoting his career.

Personal life

Meeks was married and had three children, one by birth and two through adoption. His biological son and one of his adopted sons shared the same name (Richard) and age (both were born in 1957).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meeks, Mel Players of American football from Muskogee, Oklahoma Continental Football League players Minnesota Vikings players American football running backs 1930s births Living people Year of birth missing (living people)