Umpire Julius E "Chuck" Meriwether Dies at 63

Umpires still reeling from the untimely loss of Eric Cooper have been hit again with sorrow as longtime MLB umpire Chuck Meriwether died at the age of 63. The Nashville-born 17-year member of the staff officiated seven Division Series, two League Championship Series, and two World Series (2004, 07) before his retirement from on-field service; Meriwether would later join the Commissioner's Office to serve as an umpire supervisor.

Julius Edward Meriwether, who went by "Chuck," was born in June 1956 in Nashville, TN, attended the Wendelstedt Umpire School (then-newly acquired from Al Somers by Harry Wendelstedt) in 1979 upon reading an advertisement in the newspaper, and never looked back after his first game in Minor League Baseball in 1979.

Chuck made his way to the Pacific Coast League and American Association before his first American League game in 1987 and hiring to the AL staff shortly thereafter. 2,594 regular season games and 28 ejections later, Meriwether left the field after the 2009 season due in part to wear-and-tear on his knees, and soon became an umpire supervisor.

In 2016, his hometown Nashville Sounds renamed the First Tennessee Park umpire room the "Chuck Meriwether Umpire Room" and in 2017, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inducted Chuck as its newest member.
Related Post: Umpire Chuck Meriwether Inducted into TN Hall of Fame (6/30/17).

Chuck and Coop worked on the same crew under chief Mike Reilly in 2004 and 2009.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Former AL, MLB Umpire Chuck Meriwether Dead at 63 (CCS)