William Charles “Buddy” Meyer, the founder of the Chain Baseball Academy and a 2006 Citation Honoree into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame, died on Wednesday. He was 67.
“I was on one of the first teams coach Meyer had with Chain Baseball,” said Benedictine baseball coach Kevin Farmer. “He did a lot for me and more importantly he changed the dynamic of baseball here in Savannah.”
Meyer formed the original Chain Gang team in 1982. In 1984, he founded Chain Baseball, a program designed to help produce college scholarship opportunities for baseball players. He helped teach hundreds of young players and organized several national champion travel squads. He mentored and coached more than 200 baseball players that eventually went on to the professional level. The Chain Baseball Academy website lists 56 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including eventual big leaguers Adam Wainwright, Josh Reddick and Jason Shiell.
In remarks on the website, Meyer noted that since 1993, 341 players have received college scholarships. He wrote, “The Chain Baseball Academy motto has and will always be ‘helping to produce scholarships for gentlemen playing baseball.’”
Farmer said Meyer was the type of coach players loved to play for.
“He played college ball himself, and he would get on you if you were doing something wrong,” Farmer said. “But kids wanted to play for him. He was a baseball guy, and he just loved helping players try to reach their goals.
“I played for coach Meyer from the age of 13 and I learned a lot from him,” Farmer said. “He cared about you as a player, but he was also concerned with the kind of person you were off the field. He had an impact on the lives of young men, and that’s something I have tried to mimic in my coaching career.”
Meyer was born Sept. 5, 1946 in Vicksburg, Miss., and played at Delta State College. He moved to Savannah in 1972 and owned and operated Southeast Chain & Specialty Inc., and later in 2006 owned and operated Chain Reps Inc., a chain conveyor business.
Surviving are his wife, Carolyn Sneed Meyer of Savannah, daughters Shay Meyer (Anders Jakobsen) of Atlanta; Kim Meyer of Savannah; companion Susan Gorena of Tybee Island.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Chapel of Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Islands Chapel, 4605 Highway 80 E, Savannah, GA 31410. The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m., prior to the service.
Honorary pallbearers will be his nephews, Jeff, Greg, Tim and Steve Turcotte; friends Trenity Shores, Joe Farmer, Ben Cole, Shannon Snyder, Andy Burris and Travis Taylor.
Remembrances: American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas TX 75231 (heart.org) and the American Lung Association, 6852 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216 (lung.org).
There is an online guestbook at www.foxandweeks.com.
FROM MEYER’S GSAHOF INDUCTION AS 2006 CITATION HONOREE
“Meyer’s dedication to advancing the discipline and quality of life of each and every young man that comes through his doors has become legendary. Stressing education, good sportsmanship, and teamwork has provided a positive environment that creates increased self-esteem and goals for a better life. ... Buddy Meyer is unsurpassed in his efforts to improved the quality of the sports experience for young men in the Savannah area.”
Source: Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame (gsahof.com)