Colin Meads
A raw-boned farmer from King Country whose ferocious play and indomitable spirit came to define the very essence of All Black rugby.
1936–2017 (age 81)·New Zealand rugby union player·Birthday: June 3·The Silent Generation
Biography
Colin Meads wasn't just a rugby player; he was a force of nature. He carried the ethos of his North Island sheep farm onto the pitch—tough, uncompromising, and relentlessly hard-working. For fifteen years, his towering frame in the second row was a symbol of New Zealand's rugby dominance. He played with a broken arm, famously (or infamously) tackled with a fury that bordered on the unlawful, and possessed a surprising turn of speed. To opponents, he was 'Pinetree,' an immovable object. To New Zealanders, he was the ultimate folk hero, a man whose values of mateship, courage, and humility resonated far beyond the try line. His legacy is not merely in his 55 tests but in the mythic standard of toughness he set for every All Black who followed.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Colin was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2017Died at 81
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Played 55 test matches for the All Blacks, a record that stood for nearly two decades, and 133 total matches in the black jersey.
- Captained New Zealand in 11 internationals, including a historic series win against the British and Irish Lions in 1971.
- Named New Zealand's Player of the Century at the 1999 NZRFU awards.
- Inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997 and the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014.
Did You Know?
He played a 1969 test match against Scotland with his arm in a plaster cast after breaking it weeks earlier.
He was sent off only once in his international career, during a fiery match against Scotland in 1967.
After rugby, he served as a selector for the All Blacks and as president of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
His brother, Stan Meads, also played for the All Blacks, and they appeared together in five tests.
“Rugby is a game for the tough, and you've got to be prepared to get hurt.”
