Meet CU Student, Football Player and Air Force Cadet Bryan Meek

BOULDER – Being an Air Force ROTC cadet, college student and Division I football player takes a lot of determination.

You often hear about those at the service academies, but here at the University of Colorado senior linebacker Bryan Meek's story is one that should be known.

The 20-year-old is living his version of the American dream. That is correct, Meek is a cadet in CU's Air Force ROTC program, a walk-on with the Buffalo football team and a student in the Leeds School of Business studying management with areas of emphasis in operations management and leadership. It's the ultimate understatement to say his plate is full. The challenge of balancing all three areas of emphasis is something he has grown to love.

Meek has a strong connection to both the military and CU. His father, Marvin, served 24 years active duty in the Army as an Armor Officer and was also a member of the CU faculty as the Department Chair for the Military Science Department (Army ROTC) from 2004-07.

A 2014 graduate of Niwot High School, which is only roughly 11 miles away from Folsom Field, he grew up watching the Buffs (his father's office was in Gate 3 at Folsom Field). He has even deeper military ties in his family and having successfully cleared flight medical screening in early June, he is hopeful of becoming "a fighter pilot in the Air Force, primarily one that specializes in the air-to-ground and Close Air Support (CAS) missions," in his words.

And it is his words that best tell his story.

Enjoy this Q&A session getting to know more about one of CU's most ambitious student/athlete/cadet.

CUBuffs.com: How do you go about balancing being a student in the Leeds School of Business, college football player and a cadet in the Air Force ROTC?
C/Meek: "Balancing football, the Leeds School of Business and Air Force ROTC is definitely a challenge, but I love it. Each of these opportunities brings something different to my experience as a Buff. I greatly enjoy the athletic challenge of being a part of the football team. Leeds and my other classes offer mental challenges. Being an Air Force ROTC Cadet allows me to bring both the physical and mental together to better myself for the challenges ahead in serving my country. To balance these three, I have had to learn (the hard way) that planning and working ahead leads to success. With the various requirements each activity involves, prioritizing what I have to do has been key in helping me get everything done. In addition, I have various resources and people in football, school and Air Force who help me accomplish all I want to do. At the end of the day, despite the lack of sleep sometimes, it is all more than worth it, as I get to be a part of three great communities and will be a Thunderchief (our Air Force ROTC Detachment name) and a Buff for life."

CUBuffs.com: What does a typical fall day look like for you combining all three aspects in your student/athlete/military experience at CU?
C/Meek: "Depending on the day, I usually wake up at 5 a.m. for Air Force Physical Training (PT), then run over to the Champions Center for football meetings and practice later in the morning. After that, I usually have classes all afternoon, followed by Air Force ROTC Leadership Laboratory, where we complete our military training. Later, I will study and do homework, and try to hit the hay early enough to do it all over again the next day."

CUBuffs.com: How would your experiences here at CU differ, if it would at all, from a student-athlete/cadet at any of the other service academies?
C/Meek: "At the service academies, the cadet-athletes have more military responsibilities (especially as a freshman) than I have at CU, due to the military nature of the schools. At CU, I have a little more freedom in terms of scheduling and life itself, but school, ROTC and football are not all coordinated as well as at a service academy. This could cause some issues, but so far I have had very little conflict between academic, Air Force and football schedules. Even if I did, all three parties have been extremely supportive in helping me accomplish my goals."

CUBuffs.com: Asides from your father, do you have other military ties with your family?
C/Meek: "In addition to my father being a 24-year Active Duty Army Armor Officer, I have numerous members of my family on both sides who have served before me. On my mother's side, I have a grandfather who was a career Army Officer in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. My uncle on my mom's side is a Marine Colonel, there is a Vietnam-era Army helicopter pilot, a Naval submarine captain and more. On my father's side, there is an F-101 Voodoo pilot and a Naval ship captain who served in the Pacific Theater in WWII whose ship was in Tokyo Bay during the Japanese surrender to end the war. Needless to say, I have a little bit of history on both sides. Despite that, my parents never pressured me into or steered me toward military service. Instead, I came to the decision on my own, and both were and have been extremely supportive of the choice."

CUBuffs.com: What have you learned from your father about serving your country?
C/Meek: "Mostly that every other service loves to make fun of the Air Force, and every December it's always 'Go Army, Sink Navy.' All joking aside, my father has taught me about the importance of taking care of your people as a leader. While the mission is what is most important at the end of the day, you cannot complete the mission without the people, so leading and serving them is always first. On the other side of the coin, he has shown me that there are sacrifices that come with military service. When he worked at CU, he would be gone all summer long at Army ROTC training to ensure that the next generation of officers was just as capable of leading and succeeding. But I have learned the most just by watching him lead and carry himself, and it would be incredible to be able to be a leader like him."

CUBuffs.com: Being a local product, do you take pride in being a member of the Buffs? Were you a CU fan growing up?
C/Meek: "I absolutely do take pride in being a Buff. When my dad was the Professor of Military Science in the Army ROTC program at CU, his office was in Gate 3 inside the stadium, so I was around Folsom all the time. I went to every football youth summer camp, plenty of games and even helped clean up the stadium the morning after games (which the ROTC programs still do after every home game). Back then, all the CU football players were heroes, the kind of guys you want to grow up to be. Especially considering the history of the program and some of the people who have been football players here, from the likes of Jeremey Bloom to Jack Swigert (an astronaut on Apollo 13), the program has a strong legacy that extends far beyond the football field. That I have grown up and become one of those football players is absolutely crazy to me. Getting the chance to be one of those guys that I looked up to is an absolute honor and a dream come true. Living so close to Boulder, having watched and rooted for CU for so long, it is an honor to now be able to be a representative for Boulder, CU and Colorado as a whole."

CUBuffs.com: How come you came to CU from the Air Force Academy?
C/Meek: "Because I wanted to play college baseball, the Air Force Academy had an unbeatable pitch: being able to play Division I baseball at a great school with an awesome job waiting after graduation. Unfortunately, I did not fully consider what I was signing up for. I thought, 'awesome, I get to play D1 baseball, oh, and I guess I can do the Air Force too,' which is the wrong attitude to bring into that environment. At the end of the day, it was not the right place for me at that time in my life, and funny enough, at that point, I thought I didn't want to be in the Air Force. I decided to transfer to CU because it was close to home, I was familiar with it as my dad used to work here and I enjoyed watching the football team. In my first semester here, I found out that I really wanted to be an officer in the Air Force, and that I really wanted to fly. Lucky for me, we have a fantastic Air Force ROTC program at CU and Detachment 105 gave me a chance to accomplish both of these dreams."

CUBuffs.com: Are there any parallels or comparisons you see in the CU coaches with your commanders in the ROTC?
C/Meek: "Not necessarily between my coaches and my commanders, aside from the fact that they all display strong leadership. As for my role, another Cadet (now Second Lieutenant) pointed out a similarity. The Air Force has squadrons known as "aggressors" who fly as enemies against other operational units as practice against these threats for dogfights. Running primarily scout team last year, I was like an aggressor for the football team."

CUBuffs.com: What are your aspirations for the future after CU? Something in military aviation?
C/Meek: "My main goal after CU is to become a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. After I graduate from CU and Leeds, I will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. I have earned a pilot slot, meaning that I will be attending pilot training after graduation, putting me on that track. That being said, I still have multiple phases of pilot training, a few years, and a lot of hard work to go before that goal becomes a reality."

CUBuffs.com: Is there a field in the military that interests you the most?
C/Meek: "If I could choose anything, I want to be a fighter pilot in the Air Force, primarily one that specializes in the air-to-ground and Close Air Support (CAS) missions. With my father being an Army officer, I would love the opportunity to be able to leverage the air assets of the USAF in support of those who are 'boots on the ground.' "

CUBuffs.com: How does your training schedule work – strength and conditioning with coach Drew Wilson and staff combined with your ROTC PT?
C/Meek: "Fortunately for me, football and ROTC training have not had many scheduling conflicts to this point. I am able to go to everything, which means a lot of working out. The Air Force kicks my butt at PT-it's awesome. Then I get to go to football and Coach Wilson and his staff kicks my butt in the weight room and on the field- that's awesome too. Neither organization takes it easy on me, and I wouldn't want it any other way. During the school year, I have three Air Force PTs per week and 5-6 days of working out with football a week, usually doing both in a day. While it may get tiring sometimes, I'm honestly living the dream, so it's alright with me."

CUBuffs.com: Anything else we should know about you? (Do you have so many hours of flight time, have you made x number of skydiving jumps, have you completed any other military training other than the basic cadet training you did before going to the USAFA ahead of your freshman year?)
C/Meek: "Besides Basic Cadet Training at the Air Force Academy, I also completed Air Force ROTC Field Training last summer, which is a 3½ week training encampment in Alabama and Mississippi. As for flying, I currently have 21 hours of flight time in a single engine Cessna. I would love to be able to solo by the end of summer, but we'll see what happens."

Meet CU Student, Football Player and Air Force Cadet Bryan Meek

Players Mentioned

Bryan Meek

Related Videos