Urban Meyer was once a Braves prospect, used to play intense ping-pong games with Ron Gant

Let's take a look at Urban Meyer's baseball career

By Matt Monagan

January 8, 2015

Urban Meyer is a two-time national championship-winning college football coach. On Monday night, his Ohio State Buckeyes will face off against Oregon with the hope of earning him a third. He's one of the best in his profession. But before any of these accomplishments, Meyer started (as any great success story usually starts) in professional baseball.

The 17-year-old infielder was drafted by the Braves in the 13th round of the 1982 MLB Draft. In 44 games (and two seasons) spread over the Gulf Coast League and rookie-level Appalachian League, he hit one home run, knocked in 11 runs and slashed at a .182/.321/.264 clip. Here's his entry in the Braves organizational record book from 1983:

Urban Meyer's entry in the 1983 Braves organizational record book. Aside from Braves legends like Biff Pocoroba and Rufino Linares, guide also includes noted baseball agent Craig Landis, then a Triple-A outfielder.

A photo posted by Baseball America (@baseballamerica) on Jan 1, 2015 at 7:20am PST

After that '83 season and arm injuries, the Braves would cut Meyer. His waiver papers were signed by some farm director named Hank Aaron.

Although his numbers didn't show it, former teammates and future Braves stars Mark Lemke and Ron Gant claim Meyer was a very good player. And, via the Washington Post, it seems there may have been a third sport the Ohio native missed his calling on:

He lived in a dormitory-style apartment in Bradenton, Fla., and hung out with Lemke and Gant, a future All-Star outfielder who at the time played shortstop. They engaged in hellacious ping-pong matches during their ample downtime, and Meyer "didn't accept losing very well," Lemke said.