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Former Oklahoma Star Ryan Minor Diagnosed with Cancer; Here's How to Help

The former two-sport Sooner was a standout in baseball and basketball, and now his brother has set up a GoFundMe page where OU fans can lend a hand.

John E. Hoover

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Ryan Minor entertained Sooner Nation for four years — in two sports.

Now, Minor and his family could use an assist.

Minor, a former Oklahoma two-sport star in basketball and baseball, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

Ryan and wife Allyson have two children, Regan and Finley. The family, led by brother and former teammate Damon Minor, has set up a gofundme page for help with medical bills.

More information on how to help can be found on Damon Minor’s Facebook page.

Ryan and Damon are twins and came to OU from Hammon, OK.

Oklahoma's Ryan Minor in baseball, basketball.
Oklahoma's Ryan Minor in baseball, basketball / OU Athletics

Ryan Minor played basketball at OU from 1992-95, was a two-time All-American, two-time Big Eight scoring champ and Big Eight Co-Player of the Year in basketball and still ranks seventh in school history in points scored with 1,946.

In baseball, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Minor was a starter on the Sooners’ 1994 national championship team, was drafted in both sports (33rd round in baseball by the Baltimore Orioles and second round in basketball by the Philadelphia 76ers), and played professional baseball from 1996-2001, including four years in the Major Leagues. His 1998 start at first base for the Orioles helped end Cal Ripken Jr.’s iron man streak of 2,632 consecutive games played.

From 2006 thru 2021, Ryan Minor coached professional baseball. His brother Damon is currently a hitting instructor with the San Francisco Giants organization.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.