(Atlantic) Atlantic alum Bret Meyer will enter the Iowa High School Athletic Association Football Hall of Fame on Friday.
Meyer will be honored during halftime of the Class 5A State Championship game. He quarterbacked the Trojans to a state championship in 2002 before going on to a record setting career at Iowa State. “It kind of came out of nowhere. I don’t know it’s something that you’re expecting, but you’re humbled by it and excited for it. To me the first thing you think of is our team in 2002. Just how close of a team we were and how many good players we had and the good coaches we had. Not only that year, but also growing up in Atlantic and playing a lot of sports. So that’s what came to mind and then just how lucky I was to be able to play in college and have some success. To play with Tom Schmeling who I grew up with and it really just brought back a lot of good memories.”
Meyer comments on the people that helped him starting from a young age. “Obviously you start with family, my parents, but really our group of friends. Our class we had a lot of really, really good coaches whether it was Don and Nancy Jenkins or John O’Brien or obviously coach (Gaylord) Schelling, and really all of our parents, Nick Johnson and his family. Everybody, we kind of travelled as a group whether it was a baseball tournament in the summer or AAU basketball. Whatever it was we always worked together and we played up. We played against bigger teams or select teams from all over Iowa and different states and competed a lot. I think that really helped us learn how to win and how to lose and learn from when things didn’t go our way. I think that played a big role in my development.”
In addition to football, Meyer was a standout in basketball, track, and baseball during his career in Atlantic. “I think it absolutely was paramount to my success. Not necessarily one sport transfers from another, sometimes it does, but just competing and learning to compete and learning to be on different teams. You’re just developing different skill sets.” Meyer says, “If you’re a football player at any position I think track is a sport that can absolutely benefit you whether you’re in a speed position or not. I think it’s important to do. I understand if you’re in a bigger school maybe it’s harder to compete in multiple sports, but for me personally, and I know a lot of college coaches like that when they are recruiting players, but for me it was extremely important and I think a big reason why I was able to be successful.”
Meyer recalls the fan support when the Trojans were making their run in 2002. “Absolutely it makes it so much more fun. You knew it was going to happen because of Atlantic and how strong that community is and how much people care about sports. It was awesome, it was so much fun. I can remember walking out when they opened the doors to the dome and walking out and seeing our side almost full. Basically the town shuts down and everybody comes. It was so much fun to be a part of.”
He’s excited to enter the Hall of Fame in the same year as his college head coach. Dan McCarney was a first team all-state lineman at Iowa City High, graduating in 1971. Other members of the class include Terry Lambert (Perry), Robert Gallery (East Buchanan), Levi Ferguson (North Mahaska), and Bill Albright (Madrid).
Meyer joins Don Andersen and Ed Podolak as the only Hall of Fame players from Atlantic. Andersen graduated in 1959 and was inducted in 1988. Podolak graduated in 1965 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Bret Meyer:
