Back in 1987, Kansas University chancellor Gene Budig wasted little time in hiring a replacement for athletic director Monte Johnson, who had resigned.

Budig tapped Bob Frederick, then AD at Illinois State, and Frederick worked under Budig on Mount Oread for the next seven years, or until Budig left to become president of baseball’s American League.

Budig issued the following statement after learning of Frederick’s tragic death last Friday following a bicycle accident:

“Bob Frederick represented what was good in life and he leaves a rich tradition, one befitting a gentleman and gentle soul. Bob always stood for the right things, and often those things were fodder for critics who cared for little more than wins. Life was much more than a game for him; it was an opportunity to serve.”

Budig, 70, is now a distinguished professor of the College Board in New York and part owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, a New York Yankees farm team. He lives in Isle of Palms, S.C.

Budig said he planned to attend Frederick’s memorial service at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Lied Center.