Video of history-making baseball player Ryan Minor playing basketball at the University of Oklahoma goes viral after cancer death at age 49
- Minor was drafted into the NBA by the 76ers but was cut in the preseason
- He switched to baseball, where he played four seasons for two teams
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A video of former MLB player Ryan Minor playing basketball at the University of Oklahoma has surfaced in the wake of his untimely death at the age of 49.
Minor is best known for his time with the Baltimore Orioles – and when he played Cal Ripkin Jr. replaced to end his streak of consecutive matches.
In addition to his expertise on the diamond, he was also a phenomenal basketball player for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Highlights from the first game of Minor's senior year in the 1995-96 season emerged after his death was announced.
In that game against Jackson State, Minor scored 18 points and five assists to lead the Sooners to a 99–68 victory.
Video of Ryan Minor playing basketball in Oklahoma surfaced after his death at age 49
After being drafted into the NBA, Minor was cut and pursued a career as a baseball player
Minor led the team in points that season with 21.3 per game, while OU went 17-13 under coach Kelvin Sampson (now leading Houston).
Oklahoma earned a ten-seed in that year's NCAA Tournament – where they fell in the first round to seven-seed Temple 61-43.
Minor's talents were noticed and he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 32nd overall pick.
After playing seven preseason games, Minor was released from the Sixers and played 32 games for the Oklahoma City Cavalry in the Continental Basketball Association.
Minor left the team in January 1997 when he received an invitation to spring training from the Orioles, who selected him in the 33rd round of the 1996 MLB Draft.
He spent two seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut on September 13, 1998.
Just seven days later, Minor became the first person to work for Cal Ripkin Jr. started, ending his streak of 2,632 straight games.
Minor would play nine games for Baltimore that season and return to the Orioles the following season.
Minor replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting winning streak in 1998
Throughout his major league career, Minor played in 142 games and had a career batting average of .177.
His longest stint was a 55-game stint with the Montreal Expos in 2001 – where he had 15 hits in 107 at-bats, including two doubles and two home runs, as well as 13 RBI for a .158 batting average.
In October 2022, Minor was diagnosed with colon cancer. He entered hospice care in November 2023 before passing away on December 22.
Before his passing, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame named Minor as an inductee for their Class of 2024.