Bill Meehan was a cornerstone of youth baseball in Rancho Cordova, with a career spanning over three decades. Photo courtesy of Joe Meehan

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Youth sports in the city of Rancho Cordova meant the world to Bill Meehan. 

With a career that lasted for more than three decades beginning in the early 1970s, Meehan is regarded as one of the most well-respected figures in youth baseball in the area. He coached several All-Star, Senior Babe Ruth and American Legion teams during his tenure and would go on to be the president of both Rancho Cordova Little League (RCLL) and the Babe Ruth League. Meehan's contributions as a coach and mentor are certainly not forgotten, with the longtime leader to be posthumously inducted into the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame this September after passing away in January of 2022 at the age of 78. 

We spoke with Joe Meehan, one of Bill’s four children, and asked what this honor means to their family.

“It means everything,” Joe Meehan said. “He loved Rancho Cordova and he loved Rancho Cordova Little League. He coached, he was the president of the league, and he gave his heart and soul to it.”

Aside from being a cornerstone of youth athletics in the area, Meehan also helped play a key role in the construction of the baseball stadium at Sacramento City College. Former RCLL players to this day hold him in high regard, and credit him with shaping not only the athletic abilities of countless youngsters, but their character as well.  

When asked about what the honor of being inducted into the Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame would mean to his father, Joe Meehan provided a very eloquent answer.

“He wasn’t the type to look for accolades,” Joe Meehan said. “But what he would've enjoyed about this the most was that the people who suggested him were former players. That would've meant more to him than anything.”

The 11th annual Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Rancho Cordova City Hall.

Tickets for the induction ceremony are $35, which includes an appetizer and cocktail reception and awards program can be purchased at the Cordova Community Council, visit cordovacouncil.org/ccc-events/11th-Annual-Rancho-Cordova-Sports-Hall-of-Fame.