While a knee injury last fall brought Jackson Meyer’s high school football career to an early and abrupt end, the senior will once again be back on the gridiron.
Meyer had surgery in early November and has been doing therapy ever since. A couple of weeks ago, he found out he was accepted at Gustavus Adolphus and made the football team.
“I always wanted to be back in pads again, whatever it took,” he said. “In my senior year I realized how much I fell in love with the game. I knew if I kept working my tail off and stuck with it, I’d be able to play football again. I knew Gustavus was close, and I had the good grades to go there. It’s amazing they are giving me a second chance, so it was a good decision for me.”
Meyer lifts weights at Lakes Fitness in Cleveland with a couple of current Gusties. They helped him get in contact with head coach Peter Haugen and strength and conditioning coordinator Zach Vine.
“They know people who worked out with me and saw my work ethic,” Meyer said. “I chatted with them, and then we set up some tours and we went on a ‘football day,’ what a football player at Gustavus would expect in a day.”
Liking what he saw, Meyer discussed his options with his parents, Bob and Bree Meyer.
“We talked about the schooling, what I want to do, and we went through all the schools, and Gustavus seemed to be the right place for me.”
Besides getting a chance to return to a football field, Meyer liked the school’s smaller class size and the Exercise and Health program, which he plans to major in. He will minor in business.
Typically a three-sport athlete, Meyer is missing basketball season but plans to return to the Clipper baseball field when he is cleared to play on April 24.
“I probably won’t catch, but I will play third base,” he said. “I am back to running this month and getting in shape and can’t wait to have a heck of a year playing baseball with the boys.”
Football camps at Gustavus will start in early August.
“I should be cleared to start full contact, so I am really excited for that,” he said.
Meyer, the Clipper quarterback, injured his knee during the second game of the season. He managed to get back on the field for the Clippers’ final snap of their homecoming victory.
Several other Clippers also went on to play football at Gustavus, including Carter Kopet, Adam Kunkel, Elias Anderson, Marty Schmitz, Matt Miller, Casey West, Jeff West, Jamie Germscheid, Jason Hankins, Dan Derner, Jeremy Hahn, Ryan Hahn, and Steve Stauff.