Villa Maria College announced today that Mike Buczkowski, the president of Rich Baseball Operations, has joined its Board of Trustees. Buczkowski adds decades of experience in strategic planning, management, and public relations to the College’s already savvy Board.
Now in his 36th season with the Buffalo Bisons, Buczkowski is responsible for the strategic planning of Rich Baseball Operations. This includes the affairs of the Bisons, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, and the West Virginia Black Bears, a collegiate summer baseball team in the MLB Draft League.
Buczkowski’s career with the Bisons began in 1987, when he signed on as a public relations assistant during the team’s final season at War Memorial Stadium. Coinciding with the club’s move to Pilot Field in 1988, Mike was promoted to public relations coordinator and then to public relations manager in 1989. During the 1992 season, he was promoted to assistant general manager and was named general manager in 1993. He became the vice president of Bisons Baseball in 1999.
Buczkowski served as the Bisons’ general manager for 26 seasons, the longest tenure of any general manager in the franchise’s 135-year history. During this time, the club led its league in attendance 7 times, including the International League’s all-time attendance record.
He was a driving force behind the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Buffalo in 2020. Working in tandem with the management of the Toronto Blue Jays as well as local and New York State officials, Buczkowski oversaw major renovations to Sahlen Field, which allowed the Blue Jays to use the facilities and marked the first time a major league team called Buffalo home in 105 years.
A native Buffalonian, Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Canisius College, where he was the captain of the hockey team. He graduated from Bishop Timon High School, where he played three years of varsity baseball and hockey, earning All-Catholic honors as a hockey player. He was inducted into the Bishop Timon High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Throughout his career, Buczkowski has earned some notable awards, including the prestigious Bob Freitas Award from Baseball America. This award is presented annually to a franchise for overall operational excellence; the Bisons were the first Triple-A team to win the award twice.
Buczkowski was named Business First’s “Forty Under-40” in 1999. He was also named the Am-Vets Post 45 Parochial Baseball League’s Man of the Year in 2000 and the Am-Pol Eagle’s Sports Citizen of the Year in 2005. In 2008, he was honored by the General Pulaski Association for his service to the Western New York sporting community.
Buczkowski serves as a board member for Western New York United Against Drug & Alcohol Abuse Foundation, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, and the Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board of the Buffalo/Niagara Sports Commission and the WNY Youth Sports Advisory Council.
