#32 ARNOLD UMBACH
Right-handed Pitcher
What came before: A prep pitching phenom in Chattanooga, he was the son of Auburn's wrestling coach and later oversaw the entire PhysEd department, but Arnie junior went on to pitch, not wrestle, for the Tigers. The Braves took notice, signing him away in 1961 for an estimated $100,000.
He was placed on a club managed by another Auburn baseball star, Billy Hitchcock. The size of his bonus kept him moving through the Braves' farm system and he made his majors debut late in 1964. But he followed that with a 13-win campaign for the Atlanta Crackers in their 1965 swan song.
That 1966 season: Umbach's final taste of the majors was somewhat productive. He pitched in 22 games (three starts) and had a 3.10 ERA despite an 0-2 record. He worked over 40 innings, but was sent back down in July, never to return and missing his chance to again pitch for fellow War Eagle Billy Hitchcock, who took over in August.
What happened next: Umbach was part of the startling Eddie Mathews deal, joining the future Hall of Fame in Houston in retrurn for Bob Bruce and Dave Nicholson. He worked one more full minor league season and went out working: 8-10 in 28 starts, 161 innings. He appeared in only two games in 1968 before he opted to retire to further his education, getting his law degree and setting up a successful practice in Auburn that remains in business today. Umbach has served as city attorney for Auburn, the city. His father, Swede Umbach, was named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. Swede passed away in 1993. But the next two generations of the Umbach family followed Arnie to Baylor and then Auburn.
