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Allan H. (Bud) Selig was elected the ninth Commissioner of Baseball on July 9, 1998 by a unanimous vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners.

Selig was born on July 30, 1934 in Milwaukee and received a bachelor's degree in American History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1956. After serving two years in the armed forces, Selig returned to Milwaukee and began working in the automobile business with his father.

A life-long baseball fan, Selig, while growing up, followed the old Milwaukee Brewers minor league team and the Chicago Cubs. He became a Braves fan when the National League franchise moved to Milwaukee from Boston in 1953. He subsequently became the team's largest public stockholder before selling his stock in 1965 when the team moved to Atlanta.

Major League Baseball Executives • Allan H. (Bud) Selig   Commissioner of Baseball • Bob DuPuy   President & Chief Operating Officer • Jimmie Lee Solomon   Executive VP, Baseball Operations • Tim Brosnan   Executive VP, Business • Rob Manfred   Executive VP, Labor Relations &   Human Resources • Jonathan Mariner   Executive VP, Finance • John McHale Jr.   Executive Vice President,   Administration &   Chief Information Officer

Upon learning of the Braves' intended move to Atlanta, Selig founded "Teams, Inc." an organization dedicated to returning Major League baseball to Milwaukee. The group, which later changed its name to "The Brewers," arranged for several Chicago White Sox games to be played in Milwaukee in 1968.

After failing to purchase the White Sox in 1969, Selig's efforts were finally rewarded on April 1, 1970, when a Seattle bankruptcy court awarded the Seattle Pilots franchise to Selig and his investors.

The Brewers appeared in the 1982 World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The club won seven "Organization of the Year" awards during Selig's tenure as club president, including the TOPPS "Organization of the Year" award in 1987, '89, '91, and '92. In addition, the Brewers won an unprecedented three-straight Baseball America awards from 1985-87.

Selig's active role in baseball, in the Milwaukee community and throughout the nation has resulted in numerous honors and awards during his career, including:

• The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service from The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in May 2008. The Woodrow Wilson Awards are part of an effort, established by Congress, to memorialize the 28th president. Selig was honored for "distinction in public life."
• Received the "Award of Excellence" from the Sports Lawyers Association in Boston, MA on May 18, 2007.
• Received the "Frederick Douglass Medallion" from the New York Urban League for his work in promoting equality and fairness in New York City on May 3, 2007.
• Named the 2006 Executive of the Year by the Sports Business Journal and the Sports Business Daily for his accomplishments during the calendar year.
• Received the "Gold Medal Award" from the United Services Organization (USO) in New York City on December 7, 2006.
• Honored by the Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA) for his contributions to the fight against drug abuse in New York City on November 27, 2006.
• Received, along with Sue Selig, the "Centennial National Human Relations Award" from the American Jewish Committee for promoting social justice and human understanding in Milwaukee, WI on November 21, 2006.
• Received the "Champion of Youth Award" from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for Major League Baseball's commitment to the youth of America, June 8, 2005.
• Recipient of the "Judge Emil Fuchs Award" by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America for long and meritorious service to baseball on January 12, 2004.
• Awarded the "Recognition of Goodness Award" by the prestigious Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, an organization that provides financial support to aging non-Jews who risked their lives to save others during the Holocaust, for his extensive charitable efforts on December 8, 2003 in New York City.
• Received the "Honor Award" by the National Building Museum in recognition of Major League Baseball's surge in ballpark construction in Washington, D.C. on September 17, 2003.
• Recipient of the "Urban Hero Award" for his support of urban youth initiatives at the Eighth Annual Urban Heroes Award Benefit on June 2, 2003.
• Recipient of the Baseball Assistance Team's "Big Bat/Frank Slocum Award" for his contributions to and support of B.A.T. on January 21, 2003 in New York City.
• Inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, November 29, 2001.
• Received the "Sports Torch of Learning Award" presented to outstanding leaders in the field of sports from the American Friends of Hebrew University, July 18, 2001. Created "The Allan H. and Suzanne L. Selig Merit Scholarship Fund" to the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
• Recipient of the "Human Relations Award" from the National Conference for Community and Justice, June 19, 2001.
• Recipient of the "Sports Leadership Award" from Greater NY Chapter of the March of Dimes, December 6, 2000.
• "Master of the Game Award" from Marquette Univ. Sports Law Institute, September 22, 2000.
• Inducted into Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame, May 3. 2000.
• Received the "Good Scout Award" from Boy Scouts of America, December 8, 1999.
• The Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Award, received November 19, 1998 from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for outstanding service to benefit America's youth.
• The "Distinguished Service Award" from the US Sports Academy in 1998.
• Named "Wisconsin's Top Sports Personality of the Past 25 Years," an award by the Milwaukee Pen & Mike Club, February 1995.
• Recipient of the "World of Difference" Award from the Anti-Defamation League, February 1994.
• Received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, awarded to outstanding Citizens of the United States who have contributed to our national Identity while preserving the distinct values and heritage of their ancestors, May 16, 1993.
• Received the "Distinguished Citizen Award" from the Potawatomi Council of the Boy Scouts of America, December 1990.
• Recipient of the "August A. Busch, Jr. Award", presented by Major League Baseball Ownership, September 1989. The award, given for "long and meritorious service to baseball," is the equivalent for off-field personnel to the players' Most Valuable Player Award.
• Received the "Baird Award for Management Excellence," April 1989. The Baird Award is given annually to a Wisconsin corporation that consistently demonstrates superior financial achievement and community involvement.
• Named the United States Olympic Committee "Sportsman of the Year Award" for his contributions to baseball and to youth in Milwaukee, May 1983.
• Received the "International B'nai B'rith Sportsman of the Year Award" for his distinguished contributions to the world of sports, February 1981.
• Named "Major League Executive of the Year" by United Press International, 1978.

Selig is a member of the Board of Directors of the Green Bay Packers, Inc., Marcus Corporation and the Oil-Dri Corporation of America. He is also on the Board of Visitors for the Department of Political Science and the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. Selig is a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, the Boys and Girls Clubs Board of Trustees, is a founder of Athletes for Youth and was instrumental in establishing the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Fund.

Bud and his wife, Sue, are very active in the Milwaukee community and were co-recipients of the "1990 Humanitarian Award" from the St. Francis Children's Center. They also lend their support and time to the Milwaukee Art Museum. In July of 2001, the Allan H. and Suzanne L. Selig Merit Scholarship Fund was established at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Selig, who was active in the governance of Major League Baseball during his tenure as President of the Milwaukee Brewers, was a member of the Major League Executive Council when Commissioner Fay Vincent resigned on September 7, 1992. In accordance with the Major League Agreement, which grants the Executive Council the authority to rule Baseball in the absence of a Commissioner, Selig became the central figure in Baseball's power structure on September 9, 1992 when his fellow owners named him Chairman of the Major League Executive Council.

Selig served a dual role as President of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club and Chairman of the Executive Council until his appointment as Commissioner on July 9, 1998. At that time his financial interest in the club was placed in trust and he relinquished involvement in all matters dealing with the operation of the Brewers. In January, 2005, the Brewers were sold to Mark Attanasio, thus ending Selig's 35-year relationship with the club.

As Chairman of the Executive Council, and then as Commissioner, Selig's ability to rule by consensus brought about numerous dramatic changes to baseball, including:

• Interleague play.
• Significant revenue sharing among clubs.
• Three-division formats in the American and National Leagues.
• An extra tier of playoffs and the Wild Card.
• First phase of realignment.
• Consolidation of the administrative functions of the American and National Leagues into the Commissioner's Office.
• The restoration of the rulebook strike zone.
• Unbalanced schedule
• Awarding home field advantage in the World Series to the team that represents the winning league of the All-Star Game.

But most important, on August 31, 2002, Selig engineered an historic labor agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association that avoided a work stoppage and provided significant economic concessions to the clubs. Those concessions have brought on greater competitive balance among the clubs. For the first time in 30 years, the clubs and the Players Association were able to reach a labor agreement without either a strike or a lockout.

This unprecedented era of labor peace will continue as the clubs and players reached a new, five-year pact on October 24, 2006. The new contract, which terminates on December 11, 2011, is the longest labor contract in baseball history. By the end of the contract, baseball will have gone 16 years without a strike or lock-out, the longest period of labor peace since the inception of the collective bargaining relationship.

The significant changes to baseball's economic system have helped the sport achieve competitive balance, made evident in 15 different clubs earning the 16 postseason slots available in the 2006 and 2007 seasons; eight different clubs occupying the eight World Series berths from 2005-2008; and eight different clubs winning the last nine World Series.

On January 13, 2005, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced an historic agreement to expand its drug-testing program to include random, year-round testing, immediate discipline, and broader list of banned substances. Although this new program was as strong as any in professional sports, it was further enhanced 10 months later. In a joint announcement with the MLB Players Association on November 15, 2006, Major League Baseball implemented an even tougher drug-testing program, which calls for a 50-game suspension of first-time offenders, a 100-game suspension for a second offense, and a life-time ban for a third. The new agreement also banned the use of amphetamines and implemented a testing plan and a disciplinary policy for the use of that substance. By the start of the 2006 season, Major League Baseball had the toughest drug-testing and disciplinary policy in professional sports.

Under his leadership as Executive Council Chairman and Commissioner, new stadiums have opened in Arizona, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Texas and Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2005, when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. as the Nationals. Two new ballparks will open in New York City in 2009, an open-air stadium will open in Minnesota as the home of the Twins in 2010 and other clubs have new ballpark plans in development.

In 2006, MLB and the MLBPA partnered to stage the inaugural World Baseball Classic, the most important international baseball event ever ventured, in which Major League players competed for their home countries for the first time. The next edition of the World Baseball Classic will be held in March 2009.

Despite presiding over the game during a troubled period that included a 272-day player strike in 1994 and 1995, Selig is in the process of guiding the game through a significant renaissance. Major League Baseball set its all-time regular season attendance record each year from 2004-2007, culminating in an all-time high of 79,503,175 fans in 2007. The 2008 season marked the second highest attendance total in history with more than 78.6 millions fans. Revenues have increased more than five-fold, from $1.2 billion in 1992 to $6.1 billion in 2007.

Bud and his wife, Sue, have three daughters and five granddaughters.