NEW YORK – Gene Budig, the self-effacing educator and baseball fan from small-town Nebraska who became the head of three major universities and the last president of the American League, died Tuesday.
He was 81.His death was announced by the commissioner’s office and the Charleston RiverDogs, a minor league team he co-owned.
No cause was given. He had been in hospice.Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that Budig was a “friend to many” in baseball.
He lauded Budig for taking “great pride” in his role of AL president and for his “lifelong connection” to the game.Former Commissioner Bud Selig called Budig a “good friend and a wonderful person.”“I truly appreciated his work and his support," Selig said Tuesday.