Jack Meagher

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title: "Jack Meagher" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1890s-births", "1968-deaths", "american-football-ends", "auburn-tigers-athletic-directors", "auburn-tigers-football-coaches", "chicago-tigers-players", "iowa-pre-flight-seahawks-football-coaches", "miami-seahawks-coaches", "notre-dame-fighting-irish-football-players", "rice-owls-football-coaches", "st.-edward's-hilltoppers-baseball-coaches", "st.-edward's-crusaders-football-coaches", "st.-edward's-hilltoppers-men's-basketball-coaches", "united-states-marine-corps-personnel-of-world-war-i", "sports-coaches-from-chicago", "coaches-of-american-football-from-illinois", "players-of-american-football-from-chicago", "basketball-coaches-from-illinois", "baseball-coaches-from-illinois"] description: "American athlete and coach (1894–1968)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Meagher" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American athlete and coach (1894–1968) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox college coach"]

Field	Value
name	Jack Meagher
image	Jack Meagher.jpg
birth_date
birth_place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Miami, Florida, U.S.
player_sport1	Football
player_years2	1916
player_team2	Notre Dame
player_years3	1920
player_team3	Chicago Tigers
player_positions	End
coach_sport1	Football
coach_years2	1921–1928
coach_team2	St. Edward's
coach_years3	1929–1933
coach_team3	Rice
coach_years4	1934–1942
coach_team4	Auburn
coach_years5	1944
coach_team5	Iowa Pre-Flight
coach_years6	1946
coach_team6	Miami Seahawks
coach_sport7	Basketball
coach_years8	1921–1924
coach_team8	St. Edward's
coach_sport9	Baseball
coach_years10	1922–1929
coach_team10	St. Edward's
admin_years1	1934–1942
admin_team1	Auburn
overall_record	21–7 (college basketball)
1–5 (AAFC)
bowl_record	1–0–1
awards	Football
SEC Coach of the Year (1935)
::

| name = Jack Meagher | image = Jack Meagher.jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S. | alma_mater = | player_sport1 = Football | player_years2 = 1916 | player_team2 = Notre Dame | player_years3 = 1920 | player_team3 = Chicago Tigers | player_positions = End | coach_sport1 = Football | coach_years2 = 1921–1928 | coach_team2 = St. Edward's | coach_years3 = 1929–1933 | coach_team3 = Rice | coach_years4 = 1934–1942 | coach_team4 = Auburn | coach_years5 = 1944 | coach_team5 = Iowa Pre-Flight | coach_years6 = 1946 | coach_team6 = Miami Seahawks | coach_sport7 = Basketball | coach_years8 = 1921–1924 | coach_team8 = St. Edward's | coach_sport9 = Baseball | coach_years10 = 1922–1929 | coach_team10 = St. Edward's | admin_years1 = 1934–1942 | admin_team1 = Auburn | overall_record = 21–7 (college basketball) 1–5 (AAFC) | bowl_record = 1–0–1 | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = Football SEC Coach of the Year (1935) | coaching_records = John Francis Meagher (July 5, 1894 – December 7, 1968) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator.

Meagher played football for the University of Notre Dame in 1916, rising to a second-team end under then-assistant coach, Knute Rockne. He served with the United States Marines in France during World War I and played in four games with the Chicago Tigers in 1920, the first year of the National Football League (NFL).

Meagher embarked on a career in coaching in 1921 at St. Edward's University, where he served as head football coach from 1921 to 1928, compiling a record of 24–21–4, and as head basketball coach from 1921 to 1924. From 1929 to 1933, he coached football at Rice University, where he compiled a 26–26 record. From 1934 to 1942, he was the head football coach at Auburn University, where he compiled a 48–37–10 record. Shug Jordan was his assistant coach. During his nine seasons coaching the Auburn Tigers, they played in their first bowl game ever, the Bacardi Bowl. The game was held in Havana, Cuba. In 1935, Meagher was named the SEC Coach of the Year. He joined the Navy during World War II and served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy. Meagher also coached the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team in 1944 during World War II. In 1946, he coached the first six games of the season for the Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), going 1–5.

Former players of Meagher at Auburn University were known as Meagher's Marauders because of their aggression on the football field, and most of the games they played were on the road. During Meagher's first 6 years at Auburn, his players played only 3 home games. Meagher was the driving force behind the building of Auburn's stadium. Auburn Stadium opened in 1939 and seated 7,500. Meagher's Marauders award a scholarship every year to an Auburn student during one of the fall games. In 2015, the Coach Jack Meagher Award (CJM) was awarded to Vincent "Bo" Jackson.

Meager died on December 7, 1968. He is buried at Hollywood Memorial Gardens East in Hollywood, Florida. Meagher was inducted into the St. Edward's University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.

Head coaching record

College football

| name = St. Edward's Saints | conf = Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association | startyear = 1921 | endyear = 1926 | championship = | year = 1921 | name = St. Edward's | overall = | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1922 | name = St. Edward's | overall = | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1923 | name = St. Edward's | overall = | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1924 | name = St. Edward's | overall = 6–2 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1925 | name = St. Edward's | overall = 3–4–1 | conference = 1–3–1 | confstanding = T–10th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1926 | name = St. Edward's | overall = 4–6 | conference = 0–2 | confstanding = 8th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | name = St. Edward's Saints | conf = Texas Conference | startyear = 1927 | endyear = 1928 | championship = | year = 1927 | name = St. Edward's | overall = 3–3–3 | conference = 1–1–1 | confstanding = 4th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1928 | name = St. Edward's | overall = 6–5 | conference = 3–1 | confstanding = 2nd | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | name = St. Edward's | overall = | confrecord = | name = Rice Owls | conf = Southwest Conference | startyear = 1929 | endyear = 1933 | championship = | year = 1929 | name = Rice | overall = 2–7 | conference = 0–5 | confstanding = 7th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1930 | name = Rice | overall = 8–4 | conference = 2–4 | confstanding = 6th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1931 | name = Rice | overall = 6–4 | conference = 3–3 | confstanding = 4th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1932 | name = Rice | overall = 7–3 | conference = 3–3 | confstanding = 3rd | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1933 | name = Rice | overall = 3–8 | conference = 1–5 | confstanding = 7th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | name = Rice | overall = 26–26 | confrecord = 9–20 | name = Auburn Tigers | conf = Southeastern Conference | startyear = 1934 | endyear = 1942 | championship = | year = 1934 | name = Auburn | overall = 2–8 | conference = 1–6 | confstanding = 10th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1935 | name = Auburn | overall = 8–2 | conference = 5–2 | confstanding = 4th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1936 | name = Auburn | overall = 7–2–2 | conference = 4–1–1 | confstanding = 3rd | bowlname = Bacardi | bowloutcome = T | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1937 | name = Auburn | overall = 6–2–3 | conference = 4–1–2 | confstanding = 3rd | bowlname = Orange | bowloutcome = W | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1938 | name = Auburn | overall = 4–5–1 | conference = 3–3–1 | confstanding = T–7th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1939 | name = Auburn | overall = 5–5–1 | conference = 3–3–1 | confstanding = T–5th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1940 | name = Auburn | overall = 6–4–1 | conference = 3–2–1 | confstanding = 5th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1941 | name = Auburn | overall = 4–5–1 | conference = 0–4–1 | confstanding = 11th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = | ranking2 = no | championship = | year = 1942 | name = Auburn | overall = 6–4–1 | conference = 3–3 | confstanding = 7th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = 16 | ranking2 = no | name = Auburn | overall = 48–37–10 | confrecord = 26–25–7 | name = Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks | conf = Independent | startyear = 1944 | endyear = single | championship = | year = 1944 | name = Iowa Pre-Flight | overall = 10–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = 6 | ranking2 = no | name = Iowa Pre-Flight | overall = 10–1 | confrecord = | overall = | bowls = no | poll = | polltype = Rankings from final AP Poll | legend = no

References

References

1. "ND Football Trivia Question (11/12/13)".
2. (March 15, 1929). "The Thresher".
3. Maxymuk, John. (August 2, 2012). "NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011". McFarland.
4. "Playground Daily News from Fort Walton Beach, Florida · Page 9".
5. "Hollywood Memorial Gardens East Cemetery Records - Broward County, Florida".

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