When Milwaukee Brewers president, Wendy Selig- Prieb, daughter of baseball commissioner Bud Selig, stepped aside last September and handed the reins over to Milwaukee attorney and community activist, Ulice Payne Jr., MLB history was changed forever.

After the worst season in franchise history, the Brewers are hoping to reverse their fortune with Payne, 47, an attorney at the law firm of Foley and Gardner. As a graduate of Marquette, Payne admits he’s been a Brewers fan for many years.

“This represents an honor and challenge for me and I’m going to take it very seriously,” Payne said. “I know how important the Brewers organization is to Milwaukee and Wisconsin.”

Payne admitted that he “did have some reservations about taking the job,” not the least of which is his lack of experience in baseball. But in true leadership form, he quickly solved that problem when he hired Doug Melvin as the new general manager. Melvin, the former manager of the Texas Rangers, is well known for molding them into a perennial playoff team in the late 1990s.

“I’m going to bring my efforts and my experience as a businessperson to the business of the club, but clearly the business of baseball, on-the-field decisions, have to go hand in hand,” Payne said. “I have tremendous confidence in Doug.”

Ulice Payne Jr. likes his chances with the struggling team. “Sure we’re in last place,” Payne said. But he quickly added, “You might as well take a picture because that’s probably the last time you’re going to see that.”

A History of Firsts

When Payne’s appointment was announced, much was made nationally of the fact that he was the first African American team president in Major League Baseball history. “I’ve been ‘the first’ several times,” he says. “I don’t really think about it.”

Ulice Payne Jr. first attracted the attention of Milwaukee sports fans as a star forward at Marquette University, where he earned both undergraduate and Jurist Doctorate degrees. During his distinguished legal career he was the first Black commissioner of securities in Wisconsin, and “was the first minority out at Tuckaway Country Club when the Greater Milwaukee Open was questioned by the PGA after the Shoal Creek, Alabama, problem” in 1990. Prior to his appointment as President & CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, he was the first African American to ascend to the position of managing partner in the law firm of Foley & Lardner.

For Payne, being the first African American to achieve a certain accomplishment is just not an important issue. “It’s true, it’s a fact,” Payne says with a smile. “Now we noted it. Let’s get back to what the heck we were doing. That’s sort of how I look at it. I appreciate it. If it serves as enlightenment for non-minorities, or it’s inspiration for minorities, then that’s good. But I’m not going to pump it up.”

Leading the Way

Although Payne says he’d like to see more minorities in the legal profession, the progression is slow. After years of steady growth, the number of minority students graduating from law schools has been declining, according to the American Bar Association. And sadly, many of the nation’s top law firms still do not have even one African American partner. Statistically, minority attorneys account for 3.55 percent of partners in 625 major law firms nationwide, while women account for 15.8 percent of the partners.

Doing his part to change that trend, Payne donates his time to local causes that benefit youth, and he frequently speaks at inner-city schools in an effort to interest minority youth to choose law as a career.

Respected by His Peers

Ralph Boer, chairman and chief executive officer of Foley & Lardner, said Payne’s stature in the community and his ability to effectively lead and manage the firm’s international business team made him well suited for a top job at Foley & Lardner.

“Ulice was selected based on his reputation and his stature in the firm and my conviction that he was the absolute best person for the job,” says Boer, who has been with Foley for 28 years. “Ulice is a strong member of this team. No person of color has ever risen to Ulice’s position in this firm, and we’re sensitive to that fact.”

It takes about seven to eight years to become a partner at most major law firms and about 10 to 15 years to reach the senior management ranks as Payne has done.

Those in the know believe Ulice Payne will succeed at anything he puts his hand to, including this new job. Bob DuPuy, MLB’s president and chief operating officer and a former partner at Foley & Lardner before he joined Major League Baseball in 1998, said Payne was the perfect person to hire in the attempt to change the Brewers’ fortunes.

“I don’t think [being African American] had anything to do with him getting the job,” DuPuy said. Adding that, “since he became Commissioner, Bud [Selig] has been committed to equal opportunity. Even though Ulice was the right person under any circumstances for the position, it’s another great step in that direction.”

Commissioner Selig, founder of the Brewers franchise said, “I think Ulice is an excellent choice. He understands the community, he understands the role of the team, he has had good experience, and he certainly has high standards. I think he’s an awfully good choice and I’m very happy for him.”

Ironically, as a graduating member of the Marquette basketball team back in 1978, Payne threw out the first ball at County Stadium prior to the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. He still has the photograph to prove it, he said.

“Never in my wildest imagination did I think I’d be here today,” Payne said. “Then again, I’ve been a Brewers fan since my college days.”