Wayne Meylan

Wayne Meylan

Date of birth	March 2, 1946
Place of birth	Bay City, Michigan
Date of death	June 26, 1987(1987-06-26) (aged 41)
Place of death	Ludington, Michigan
Career information
Position(s)	Linebacker
US college	Nebraska
NFL draft	1968 / round: 4 / pick: 104
Career history
As player
1968–1969	Cleveland Browns
1970	Minnesota Vikings
Honors	All-American (1966, 1967)
College Football Hall of Fame

Wayne Meylan (March 2, 1946 – June 26, 1987) was an American football player. Before playing college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he attended T.L. Handy High School in Bay City, Michigan.

Meylan played middle guard on defense for the Nebraska Cornhuskers for three years, and the team had a 25–7 record in that time. He was a consensus All-American in 1966 and 1967. In 1966, he blocked three punts and recovered two for touchdowns. Meylan set Nebraska records for most tackles in a season and most tackles in a career. He played three years in the National Football League (NFL), from 1968 to 1970, then returned to Nebraska to complete work on his degree. He joined Engineered Systems, a company doing underground work for TV systems and phone companies. He then started Meylan Enterprises in Omaha, Nebraska. This company worked on contracts in 18 states. His hobby was flying World War II fighter planes in airshows.

On June 26, 1987, Meylan, age 41, was killed when his plane crashed in Ludington, Michigan. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the probable cause of the accident was wind shear. He is buried in the Prospect Hill Cemetery, Elkhorn, Nebraska. Meylan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991.