Former SMU head football coach Ron Meyer died on Wednesday at the age of 76.

Meyer spent six seasons as SMU's head coach. He led the Mustangs to the 1981 Southwest Conference championship behind the Pony Express duo of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. He earned the Southwest Conference Coach of the Years honors that season before he left SMU to coach the New England Patriots, the start of a 10-year NFL career that included a six-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts.

Dickerson took to Twitter to mourn Meyer's passing, writing, "Devastated to hear the passing of my coach and great friend Ron Meyer. My mom and I loved Coach Meyer. He was a great man. Coach and his family are in my thoughts and prayers. God bless Coach Meyer!"

Born in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 17, 1941, Meyer played quarterback and defensive back for two years at Purdue before turning to a coaching career.

He started at Penn High School in Indiana before receiving a job as an assistant at Purdue. He spent six seasons at his alma mater before spending two seasons as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys.

In 1973, he got back into the college ranks with the head coaching job at UNLV. He spent three seasons there, earning the Division II Coach of the Year award in 1974, before accepting the SMU job.

Meyer finished his collegiate career with a 61-40-1 record and an 0-2 mark in bowl games, including SMU's loss in the "Miracle Bowl" when Jim McMahon led a furious 20-point BYU comeback in the final four minutes of the 1980 Holiday Bowl.

Twitter: @AdamGrosbard