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Profile: Gene Budig was born in May of 1939 in McCook, Nebraska. He would go on to study journalism at the University Nebraska in Lincoln. There he earned a degree in Journalism in 1962. He would go on to earn his master a year later and his doctorate in 1967. Shortly there after he was named vice chairman and director Public Affairs a post he held until 1972. While attending college Budig was also a member of the Air National Guard.

In 1973 Budig was named President of Illinois State University in Normal, IL at the age of 34. In 1977 he would take a similar position at the University of West Virginia. While Budig grew in the ranks of academia he moved up the ranks in the Air National Guard earning the rank of Adjunct General in 1978. He would go on to the rank of Major General before retiring from the Air National Guard in 1992. In 1980 Budig would move on again becoming Chancellor of the University of Kansas, a job he would hold until 1994 when he was elected to the post of President of the American League.

Gene Budig’s tenure of American League President began on August 1, 1994 just as baseball was near its darkest hour. On August 12th the players would go on strikes and with the two sides unable to come to a deal the rest of the season including the postseason and World Series was cancelled a month later.

When the games resumed in 1995 the sport had to work hard at fixing its image. However, Budig’s hands were tied on most matters as the League’s Presidency began to see its powers diminished. By 1999 it was determined that offices of the AL and NL Presidents were no longer need at Budig resigned and took a job as special advisor to Commissioner Bud Selig. No longer involved with baseball fulltime Budig returned to teaching with a Professorship at Princeton University.

In January 2007, Budig returned to baseball becoming part-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, a minor-league affiliate of the New York Yankees who play in the South Atlantic League.