WILLIAMSBURG — Edward Andrew “Drew” Mearns III, 68, husband to Kate (née Jones), father, grandfather and brother, passed away Monday, March 15, 2021, after a brief illness. Born Dec. 27, 1952, in Naples, Italy, to Ted and Pat (Simonson) Mearns, Drew was a native of Virginia, raised in Charlottesville and made the Williamsburg/Surry area his home for over three decades.
Drew’s lifelong passion was coaching athletes. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential men in USA track and field history, and his legacy is a testament to his positive impact on so many. As an undergraduate at Yale University, he was a standout athlete, earning varsity letters in cross country and track, receiving All-Ivy recognition, winning numerous races and setting course records across the country. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in Literature (1974), he went on to earn his M.A. Degree at University of Kentucky while coaching the university’s distance team. He pursued his law degree at the University of Virginia (1979). During this time, he became UVA’s first women’s cross country coach, producing numerous All Americans.
After working as a young lawyer at Jones Day in Cleveland, he became the first international track and field agent and youngest officer for Mark McCormack’s famed International Management Group. He represented numerous running legends, including Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Anne Audain, Ben Johnson and Sebastian Coe, among others.
Adding to his career, Drew was a beloved teacher and head of the Religion Department at Walsingham Academy. It was at this time that he returned to coaching and mentoring young athletes, including all five of his own children, at Walsingham, Jamestown, Lafayette and other local high schools. Numerous records and championships followed under his training, including at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Drew was holistic in his approach, understanding that great distance runners “grew” primarily from the relationship between an athlete and their coach. With this philosophy, he founded the Growing Runners Track Club.
He was also instrumental in the development of the District Track Club in Washington, D.C., offering post-collegiate athletes the opportunity to continue training and racing. Drew vigorously advocated for the empowerment of women in sports, including founding the Action Sports Alliance and negotiating significant pay increases for female action sports athletes. In addition to coaching and other professional accomplishments, he was an entrepreneur and owner of Q-Link technology. He used his vast experience to help numerous other business owners.
Drew’s interests were deep and eclectic. He was well-read, always surrounded by stacks of books, and well-traveled, including studying at Oxford University and living on a remote island in New Zealand with his young family. Drew was an active member of the Spirituality and Sustainability Global Network, and spoke recently in Assisi, Italy. He was always eager to discuss profound questions of human life with a dash of wit and self-deprecating humor. Even when facing a challenging diagnosis, he did so with acceptance and peace.
Drew married Kate in 1986 in Gates Mills, Ohio; after which, they settled in Williamsburg. Together they raised five children, Erin (Nicholas), Andrew (Abigail), Colin, and twin daughters Devon and Matia, and recently welcomed two granddaughters into the family. Many of us will mourn Drew’s passing, including his eight siblings, many nieces and nephews, and the innumerable athletes and students who grew strong in body, mind and spirit under Coach Mearns’ care.
In lieu of flowers or donations, Drew’s family asks that people remember him by living generously and magnanimously in spirit and in service.
Share online condolences with the family at Nelsen Funeral Home.
