Jack Meagher, of Rowley, Mass., died of cardiopulmonary arrest at the Sea View Retreat on March 6. He was 81.
Mr. Meagher was a massage pioneer and the father of “sportsmassage,” a term he coined in the late 1950s in association with his development of the logic and technique of the Meagher method. His scientifically researched massage method was shown to increase range of motion.
He began his work with human athletes from the National Football League, the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics, as well as professional dancers, golfers, tennis players, and marathon runners.
His work rewarded him with an honorary membership in the American Massage Therapy Association. Robert King, former AMTA president and founder of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, called Mr. Meagher’s work with high-performance athletes “legendary within the field” and said that Mr. Meagher’s book, Sportsmassage, helped revolutionize the application of clinical massage to achieve peak performance. King considered Mr. Meagher a mentor not only to himself, but also to an entire generation of sports therapists.
Mr. Meagher’s work with human athletes directly led him to working with horses. He served the U.S. Equestrian Team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and at a number of World Championships. Tad Coffin, winner of the individual three-day gold medal on Bally Cor in 1976, once said that Mr. Meagher made a tremendous contribution to the horse’s freeness of movement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Meagher was the technical advisor for sportsmassage to the AMTA. Sportsmassage was required reading for a number of physical and massage therapy schools across the country. He also authored the very popular book Beating Muscle Injuries For Horses, as well as Beating Muscle Injuries For Runners and his very touching and funny book of poetry, Neva Goossa Appaloosa. He conducted teaching seminars throughout the United States
and Canada.
Mr. Meagher will always be remembered by numerous athletes, equestrians and therapists for his down-to-earth good nature, brilliance, sense of humor, determination and kindness.
His legacy and methods will be carried on by therapists worldwide, as well as through his long-time associate, Jo-Ann Wilson of Wilson and Meagher SportsTherapy.
Mr. Meagher is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and children Kevin Meagher, Anne Jones and Louise Marsters. He was pre-deceased by his son John Meagher Jr.
