Meagher played football for the University of Notre Dame in 1916, rising to a second-team end under then-assistant coach, Knute Rockne.

[1] He served with the United States Marines in France during World War I[2] and played in four games with the Chicago Tigers in 1920, the first year of the National Football League (NFL).

Meagher also coached the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team in 1944 during World War II.

In 1946, he coached the first six games of the season for the Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), going 1–5.

Meagher's Marauders award a scholarship every year to an Auburn student during one of the fall games.