John Francis "Chick" Meehan (September 5, 1893 – November 9, 1972) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
player and coach. He served as the head football coach at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
(1920–1924),
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
(1925–1931), and
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was ...
(1932–1937), compiling a career
college football record of 115–44–14. Meehan played
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
at Syracuse from 1915 to 1917.
Meehan stated, "We learn practically nothing from a victory. All our information comes from a defeat. A winner forgets most of his mistakes."
Coaching career
Syracuse
From 1920 to 1924, Meehan served as the head coach at Syracuse and compiled a 35–8–4 record. This total included back-to-back eight-win seasons in 1923 and 1924.
NYU
Meehan was the 19th head football coach at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
(NYU), serving for seven seasons, from 1925 to 1931, and compiling a record of 49–15–4. This ranks him first at NYU in total wins and first at NYU in winning percentage. Meehan was awarded a place in NYU's athletic hall of fame for his coaching efforts.
Manhattan
Meehan's last head coaching job was as at
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was ...
. He held that position for six seasons, from 1932 until 1937. His career coaching record at Manhattan was 31–21–6. This ranks him first at Manhattan in total wins and second at Manhattan in winning percentage.
Death
Meehan died at the age of 79 on November 9, 1972 at a hospital in
Syracuse, New York.
Head coaching record
Football
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meehan, John
1893 births
1972 deaths
American football quarterbacks
Manhattan Jaspers football coaches
NYU Violets football coaches
Syracuse Orange football coaches
Syracuse Orange football players
Syracuse Orangemen baseball players
Syracuse Stars (baseball)