6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Former MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Dead At 80

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Former MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Dead At 80

Former commissioner of major league baseball Bowie Kuhn is dead at 80; in Point Vedra Beach, Florida; after a brief illness. He was commissioner from 1969 through 1984, a period that saw the beginning of free agency, a great deal of labor tumult, and the expansion of the game's popularity.

Update: More at MLB.com:

Kuhn, at 44 years old, was the youngest man ever to be elected Commissioner.
During his years in office, Kuhn fought against overturning the reserve clause in the basic player contract, which was used by owners to bind players to their respective teams. Curt Flood took MLB to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the legality of that clause, and although he lost the case, the high court put baseball on notice that the practice was a restraint of trade.
But by 1977, an arbiter had ruled in favor of the union and abolished the reserve clause, ushering in the era of free agency. The average salary nearly tripled -- from $51,501 in 1976 to $143,756 in 1980. This past year, it was a record $2.8 million.
"My wife, Sue, and I are terribly saddened by the passing of Bowie Kuhn," current Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "He was a close friend, a respected leader, and an impressive figure in all ways. He led our game through a great deal of change and controversy. Yet, Bowie laid the groundwork for the success we enjoy today. He brought us expansion, night World Series games, and greater national television exposure."

Labels: obituaries