Ted Turner, the larger-than-life media mogul who reshaped television and left an indelible mark on the sports world, passed away Wednesday at the age of 87. While his legacy includes founding CNN and building the first national "superstation" in WTBS, sports fans will always remember him as the man who brought Atlanta its beloved Braves, Hawks, and even dabbled in the squared circle with World Championship Wrestling.

But here's a wild chapter that even some die-hard fans might have forgotten: Ted Turner once managed the Braves. For one night, anyway.

Rewind to the 1970s. Turner was busy building a broadcasting empire in the South, with stations that would eventually form the TBS superstation. He struck a deal to broadcast Braves games on WTCG, his Atlanta-based station that, thanks to satellite technology, was reaching nearly two million homes. Not content to just air the games, Turner cleverly sold those broadcasting rights to stations in 24 other states, creating an unprecedented national audience for the Braves. That near-monopoly on media rights paved the way for Turner to buy the team—along with the NBA's Hawks—before the 1976 season.

Turner was never one to avoid controversy, and 1977 brought a big one. He reached an agreement with San Francisco Giants outfielder Gary Matthews before his contract had expired, and MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn came down hard, suspending Turner for the entire season for tampering. Undaunted, Turner fought the suspension in court while staying at the helm of the team.

With the Braves struggling early that season, Turner decided to take matters into his own hands. On May 11, 1977, he named himself manager for a single game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The move was part publicity stunt, part protest against Kuhn's authority. Turner donned a uniform, stepped into the dugout, and managed the Braves to a 2-1 loss. It was a short-lived experiment—Kuhn quickly intervened, ruling that Turner couldn't manage while suspended, and that was the end of his managerial career.

Though his time in the dugout lasted just one night, it perfectly captured the spirit of a man who never did anything halfway. From revolutionizing television to building the Braves into a dynasty, Ted Turner's impact on sports and media will be felt for generations.