Football: Meredith One Of Few Linking Navy, Unt

[NT80]

Football: Meredith one of few linking Navy, UNT

Denton native played with both schools

11:30 PM CST on Thursday, November 8, 2007

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

When Fred Meredith first heard that Navy was coming to play North Texas this weekend, he could hardly believe the news.

Not to mention the irony.

Meredith played college football for two schools located halfway across the country from each other that had never met on the field and seemingly had nothing in common – with the notable exception that he played for both back in the late 1940s.

The former Denton High standout played for UNT in 1946 before receiving an appointment to the Naval Academy. Meredith played for the Navy Midshipmen for three seasons, including one with the varsity team in 1949.

“I heard about it initially from the Naval Academy alumni group,” Meredith said of Saturday's game. “A couple of months ago, they e-mailed all the alumni in the Metroplex. I couldn’t believe it. I’m excited about it because I played for both teams. I wasn’t a star, but I made both teams and played some.”

Throw in the fact that the game will be played on Meredith’s 80 th birthday and the former lineman will have plenty to celebrate at Fouts Field.

Meredith will attend the game with his wife after attending Navy’s tailgate party.

“He’s really looking forward to it,” said Nancy Meredith, Fred’s daughter in law. “My husband and I talked to him last weekend and that was the first time we realized these things were coming together at the same time. The more I talked to people about it, the more excited I got.”

Meredith’s desire to become an engineer led to the unusual path he took from UNT to the Naval Academy. When Meredith graduated from Denton it was common for students to spend a year at another college before receiving a congressional appointment to a service academy.

“I went to UNT for pre-engineering courses and was going to transfer to Texas or Texas Tech because they had engineering schools,” Meredith said.

While Meredith was laying the foundation for his future as an engineer, he played a part in one of the most memorable seasons in UNT history. Meredith played sparingly, but was a member of a UNT team that won the Lone Star Conference title in 1946 and beat Pacific 14-13 in the Optimist Bowl.

The team was the first UNT fielded after World War II.

Even though Meredith was at UNT for just one season, he made a lasting impression on his teammates.

“I remember Fred,” said Jim Eagle, who played for UNT from 1946-’48. “He was a big guy who played on the line. I don’t remember a whole lot about him, but I do remember that he was a nice guy.”

Meredith’s time at UNT came to an end, thanks to his former high school principal, who recommended him for a spot in the Naval Academy. The congressman from Meredith's district eventually gave him an appointment.

“I was told that if I played football, that would help me get into the academy,” Meredith said. “I wrote a letter to the athletic director, but I don’t know if that helped me get in or not.”

Meredith played for Navy for three seasons before giving up football to concentrate on his military duties after being appointed a company commander his senior year.

Meredith graduated from the Naval Academy and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force, which didn’t have its own service academy at the time and selected graduates from the Naval and Army academies to become officers.

After five years with the Air Force, Meredith went into private industry and settled in Arlington, just a short drive from where he began his unusual journey from UNT to the Naval Academy.

Meredith didn’t go to school at UNT for very long, but it is a time in his life that he remembers fondly.

“I enjoyed North Texas,” Meredith said. “I still follow the team and read about how they are doing. I am a Denton native, so a lot of my friends went to school there.”

There is little doubt where Meredith’s loyalties will lie when it comes to Saturday’s game, though.

“I am a big Navy fan,” Meredith said. “I was excited to see them beat Notre Dame last week.”

Even though he turned out to be a Navy graduate and fan, Eagle is hoping Meredith will stop by the UNT lettermen's lounge.

“We would love for him to come by,” Eagles said. “He should stop by to see some of his old friends.”

[FirefightnRick]

Great story.

Everyone I know that was in the Navy is interested in this game and are all talking about heading up to see the Midshipmen play. Seems the win over Notre Dame last week has everyone very excited.

This may end up being a packed house.

Rick