Gene Arthur Budig was born on May 25, 1939, in Lincoln, Neb., and raised in McCook, in the western part of the state. His birth parents gave him up to an orphanage and he was adopted by Arthur Budig, an auto mechanic, and Angela (Schaff) Budig, a nurse who worked at the hospital where Gene was born. But he played for his high school team and at the University of Texas, Austin, during his only semester there. After holding various jobs at the university, including assistant vice chancellor and assistant vice president, Dr. Budig left for Illinois State University in 1972 as a vice president, dean and professor of educational administration. He also approved the hiring of two high-profile men’s basketball coaches: Larry Brown in 1983 and Roy Williams in 1988.

Source: New York Times September 12, 2020 17:37 UTC