Commencement Speaker Allan H. (Bud) Selig

St. Norbert College is pleased to announce that Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, will be the 2013 Commencement speaker.

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

On July 9, 1998 Selig was elected the ninth Commissioner of Baseball by a unanimous vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners. Prior to his election as Baseball's Commissioner, he served as Chairman of the Executive Council and was the central figure in Major League Baseball's organizational structure dating back to September 1992. Selig has led the way toward implementation of many of the game's structural changes, including the Wild Card playoff format, Interleague Play, realignment, restoration of the rulebook strike zone, consolidation of the leagues' administrative functions and limited instant replay.

Selig's active role in baseball, in the Milwaukee community and throughout the nation has resulted in numerous honors and awards during his career. He has taught at Marquette University Law School since 2009, and was named to the institution's adjunct faculty as distinguished lecturer in sports law and policy in 2010. Bud and his wife, Sue, have three daughters and five granddaughters.