Grinnell College Athletics

Gordon "Butch" Meeter '27 was one of the brightest stars in the football galaxy when the out-manned Grinnell athletes competed honorably against the large universities of the Missouri Valley Conference (1919-1938 era).Hailing from little Hawarden, Iowa, Meeter as a triple-threat halfback became "Mr. All." Laurels won "Butch" included All-Missouri Valley Conference, All-State Iowa College, and All-Western first-team selections, as well as honorable mention on the Eckersall All-American squad for colleges of all sizes. The crowning achievement for the flashy Pioneer was being named as a senior to the East squad for the national East-West Shrine All-Star game in San-Francisco. In 1925 Butch kicked a field goal late in the game for a 3-3 tie with Cornell, playing heroically in the days when points were not as plentiful. A 32-7 victory over the University of Kansas was the gem in a 6-1-1 season for Coach Mike Hyland's charges in 1926. "They may come bigger but they don't come any tougher" is the way a Kansas sportswriter described Grinnell. In that game Meeter's performance firmly established his all-star status. A weightman in track, Butch was a top-notch discus thrower and a contended in the shot. After receiving a master's degree at U.S.C., Meeter coached football and track at Storm Lake and Waterloo high schools before becoming a junior high principal in Waterloo. He officiated track, football, and basketball for 45 years; that and his coaching record merited election to the Iowa High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Butch also excelled at golf and won many senior tournaments. Meeter retired in 1971 and passed away in 1994.