A native of Waukegan, Illinois, Rick Bay had an impressive athletic career.

In high school, Bay was a three-time state wrestling champion, an all-state quarterback, an All-­Chicago area baseball player and was named the Illinois High School Athlete of the Year as a senior.

He attended the University of Michigan where he was a two-time Big Ten champion.

After graduation, Bay coached for his alma mater and was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1974 after his squad placed second at the NCAA Division I Championships.

He left coaching to work for the University of Michigan Alumni Association, where he was later appointed executive director. Under his leadership the Michigan Alumni Association was named the most outstanding organization of its kind in 1978.

Bay then became an athletic director and facilitated the transformation of athletic departments at the University of Oregon, Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota.

He was vice president and CEO of the New York Yankees and president and CEO of the Cleveland Indians. Under Bay's leadership, the Indians were named Major League Baseball's Organization of the Year for the first time in franchise history.

While serving as the athletic director at San Diego State University, Bay helped fund a baseball stadium, a softball stadium and an athletic center.

He then become a private consultant.