Dave Meyer was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the oldest of four boys raised by Ron and Lyla Meyer. Dave graduated from Loyal High School in 1973 and the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, a geography minor, and a coaching certification.
In the summer of 1978 Dave was hired by the School District of Lomira as a high school history teacher, and as head cross country coach and assistant track coach. He also helped coach the wrestling team as a volunteer assistant. In the summer of 1979 he was named the head boys track coach and the head wrestling coach, a position he has held for the last 35 years. Dave coached track for 10 years and coached several conference champions and state qualifiers. He coached cross country for 20 years and coached several individual conference champions and state qualifiers and 3 of his teams qualified for state. Dave was also the Athletic Director at LHS for 10 years from 1984 to 1993. As AD, Dave was involved in working for the approval of wrestling as a conference middle school sport and he continues to draw up the schedule and organize the middle school tournament.
One of Dave's greatest blessings occurred in the summer of 1980 when he met his future wife Gloria on the day she was hired as the new business education teacher. They first met in the wrestling locker room - Gloria was being given a tour of the school and Dave was busy painting the varsity locker room. They were married in 1983 and together raised two lovely daughters, Jennifer and Rebekah, who have been a constant source of joy and pride.
Wrestling became a sport at Lomira in 1968, and the Lions had limited success during the first 10 years of its existence. When Dave became head coach in 1979, he relied on two main sources to improve the team and his coaching. One source was several area coaches, including Hall of Fame coaches Gerry Marking, Larry Marcionda, and Gerry Peterson, who became models and mentors, and other area coaches like Geoff Washa, Dan Simon, and Mark Peterson, who were also a steady source of encouragement and inspiration.
The other source Dave relied on came from his personal life and family - namely the work ethic learned from his parents on the family farm, taught by his Loyal High School teachers and coaches, and observed in the athletic success of his younger brothers. Dave's brother Jon was an excellent distance runner at Loyal and UW - Eau Claire. Brother Jim was an accomplished basketball player. Dave's brother Bob was a state wrestling champion for Loyal in 1976 and a Wisconsin Badger from 1977 to 1982. Bob and his Badger teammates and coaches were a huge inspiration and model of excellence, dedication, and commitment. More than anyone, it was Bob who gave Dave the confidence he could be a successful wrestling coach.
Over the last 34 years the Lomira wrestling team has prospered. The Lions have a 386-111-3 record in dual meets and have claimed 67 tournament championships. This includes 12 Wisconsin Flyway Conference Championships, 6 WIAA Regional Championships, 2 WIAA Sectional Championships, and the Lions were the 2005 WIAA Division 2 Team State Runner-ups. Individually, the Lions have crowned 111 individual conference champions and have had 60 state qualifiers and 17 state place winners, including 1 state champion. Lomira is especially proud of the 42 Crossface Academic All-State wrestlers and the 3 NHSCA Academic All-Americans honored since 1998.
Many great assistant coaches have been a big part of Lomira's wrestling success. Gregg Wieczorek, Ray LaBatte, Dan Robinson, Erik Schalk, and Jon Marx have been integral to the achievements of Lomira teams over the years. The Lomira program has also benefited from the help of many alumni wrestlers and parents who have volunteered time to help coach Lion wrestlers. Credit also goes to the excellent teaching and coaching staff at Lomira High School and some great administrators, especially retired district administrator John Mason. However, the greatest attention has to be given to the hundreds of students and their parents who for 4 months every year, gave themselves over to a common cause and worked hard to build a successful team. Dave agrees that the Lord has richly blessed him in many ways, and as a wrestling coach, it is by having been touched by the spirit of hundreds of students and parents, and dozens of coaches, officials, and educators who have contributed and are essential to the success of the Lomira Lion Wrestling Family