Former Kansas University chancellor Gene Budig taught classes on the economics of sports at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs after finishing his post as the final president of the American League.

“In my classes, I had 25 terribly bright young people, at times scary bright,” Budig told the Journal-World by phone Friday from his home in Charleston, S.C. “You had to be overly prepared to venture into a classroom with them.”

Even so, Budig said one student stood taller than the rest, in more ways than one.

Journal-World File Photo

Budig’s top Princeton student will be easy to spot tonight on your television. He will be the starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the World Series at CitiField, home of the New York Mets.

Budig called Chris Young, the 6-foot-10 right-hander, “the best student that I had at Princeton University, and that is saying a lot.”

Young was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the Series, a 5-4, 14-inning Royals victory. He pitched three innings of no-hit, shutout ball, walked one and struck out four as the Royals’ seventh and final pitcher.

Budig remembered watching Young excel as an All-Ivy League performer in basketball and baseball at Princeton, and pointed to a particular game as proof of his two-sport prowess.

In 36 minutes, Young had a game-high 20-points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field and added six rebounds, five assists and a blocked shot in Princeton’s 82-67 loss to Kansas University in Allen Fieldhouse, Dec. 22, 1999.

Eric Chenowith, Nick Collison and Drew Gooden were among those Young battled in the post for points and rebounds on a night Nick Bradford led the Jayhawks with 17 points.

“He had enormous endurance both as a basketball player and pitcher at Princeton University,” Budig said.

During this past regular season, Young started 18 games and appeared in 14 games in relief for the Royals.

Young was told to prepare for the possibility of being used in either role before Game 1 because the Royals weren’t sure if scheduled starter Edinson Volquez would be emotionally up to the task. Volquez’s father had died earlier in the day in the Dominican Republic. Volquez’s family gave the Royals instructions to not let Volquez know until after he pitched. In case Volquez found out, the Royals wanted Young to be ready, which was why he was the only Royals player told the news before the game.

Young, 36, knows as well as anyone what Volquez is feeling now. The day after learning of his own father’s death, Young pitched five no-hit innings in a Royals’ 3-0 victory vs. the Cleveland Indians last Sept. 27.