Urban Meyer Recounts Pete Rose Texting for Ohio State Info Before Gambling Ban Warning

Urban Meyer, an Ohio native who grew up in the 1970s, idolized the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine as a child. Pete Rose stood out as a hero to the young Meyer, one he later met in person.

Meyer discussed the topic on a recent episode of the "Triple Option" podcast while addressing the NCAA gambling investigation into Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The conversation turned to Rose, as often happens with athletes and betting.

Shortly after Meyer took over as Ohio State football coach before the 2012 season, the Reds invited him to throw out the first pitch at a game. He encountered Rose in the clubhouse.

"I was a huge Pete Rose fan, still am, we lost him several months ago, but he became a friend of mine. When I got hired at Ohio State, (the Reds) asked me to come down and throw out the first pitch … when I walked in the clubhouse, there was Pete Rose," Meyer said.

The pair talked for a couple of hours and exchanged phone numbers. Meyer could not get enough of stories about the Big Red Machine, while Rose wanted to discuss college football. Meyer admitted he was naive about gambling and had never bet in his life.

During the 2012 season, Rose sent occasional texts. "Hey man, how’s the team look? How’s Illinois look? How’s Braxton Miller’s shoulder?" or similar messages, Meyer recalled. He replied simply, "Yeah, we’re doing fine."

Meyer thought nothing of it until he described the exchanges to someone else. "I told that to someone, they said, ‘You’re an idiot. You know he’s trying to get information from you for gambling (purposes), and you could get in trouble,’" the person told him.

Meyer never shared much information. After the warning, when Rose asked about Braxton’s shoulder, Meyer responded, "How are the Reds doing?" and changed the subject.

Rose died in September 2024. He had been banned from baseball for gambling on the Reds while playing for and managing the team in the late 1980s. In 1991, officials ruled him permanently ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Months after his death, Rose received posthumous reinstatement, making him eligible for induction.