1 of 2
Images courtesy of the St. Louis Review
2 of 2
Monsignor Louis F. Meyer was a big man—a testament to decades of running baselines and scoring goals under iron crossbars. In 1938, the New York Giants invited him to rookie tryouts, but he declined. He had greater things in mind. Instead, Meyer, also known as "the Soccer Priest,” dedicated his life to the Archdiocese of St. Louis. But his passion for sports never ceased. He helped shape the Catholic Youth Council and developed programs for kids to get involved in sports. Near the end of his life, he lamented that he could only play nine holes of golf. Meyer passed away earlier this week at the age of 92. Today at 11 a.m., friends will remember Meyer's 67 years of service to St. Louis at his public funeral mass at St. Mary Magdalen Church (4924 Bancroft).
When Meyer was named associate director of the CYC in 1947 only 1,000 kids participated in the sports program. Today that number is inching towards 100,000, with more than 5,000 teams and 26,000 games played every year. Meyer was the associate director under his friend and mentor, Msgr. Lloyd Sullivan, from 1947 to 1960, and Meyer became director from 1960 to 1978. Meyer was also the chaplain at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and the pastor of two parishes.
It wouldn’t be for another 16 years until Meyer retired, but he remained active in the community all the way to his death. “I spoke with him the day before he died,” says Mike Kalist, friend of Meyer’s and one of his successors as CYC director. “We spent the entire hour discussing how we could make the program better.” Meyer could oftentimes be seen in the bleachers speaking with parents and asking how they could improve the CYC programs. Meyer believed sports to be an invaluable resource in teaching children teamwork, loyalty, and respect.
In 2009, St. Mary Magdalen Parish Youth Complex was renamed the Msgr. Meyer Youth Center. “He was humbled by having his name on the building,” Kalist says. “For us it was an obvious choice. He just meant so much to this organization and had been a friend of many of us for so long.” Meyer lived across the complex on South Kingshighway Boulevard and would often visit, watching games or attending award ceremonies.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame admitted Meyer in 2011, with some help from recommendations by Bob Costas, Mayor Francis Slay, Joe Garagiola, and more. This is only one of the six halls of fame Meyer has been admitted to throughout his lifetime.
Meyer was a priest, a soccer player, a youth director, and a hall-of-famer. Many called him monsignor, some called him "the Soccer Priest,” but for Kalist he was something else. “He was physically imposing, and he had this great head of white hair,” Kalist says. “But for me, he was a friend more than anything.”
