Kuhn, Bowie, 1926-2007

Bowie Kuhn was the Commissioner of Major League Baseball for three terms from 1969 to 1984. A lawyer by trade, Kuhn oversaw the introduction of free agency, the addition of six clubs, and World Series games played at night. He oversaw the game during a time of great labor conflict, including strikes in 1972, 1976 and 1981. He also intervened a number of times in the affairs of teams, most famously in 1976 by preventing Oakland Athletics owner Charles Finley from selling off three of his star players who were threatening to leave as free agents at the end of the season. He mediated the owners' decision to play a split season in 1981. He was the named defendant in the Flood v. Kuhn suit which was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1973 and temporarily upheld the reserve clause. In 1999, The Sporting News named Kuhn the 60th most powerful person in sports in the 20th century. He was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

From the description of Bowie K Kuhn Scrapbook : scrapbook, 1969. (National Baseball Hall of Fame). WorldCat record id: 780065587