5 interesting facts about Herb Kohl from his impressive political résumé to his friendship with Bud Selig

Crossing the paths of all Wisconsinites through politics, sports, business and charity, Herb Kohl will forever be remembered as a legend in Wisconsin.

Kohl died Wednesday at age 88.

Many have their own stories of Kohl, but there are a few lesser-known facts about the former senator and Bucks owner.

Here are five facts about Kohl you might not know.

Herb Kohl never lost an election

No many people can claim an undefeated record in politics. Kohl is one of them. Starting with his first U.S. Senate race in 1988, Kohl won all four of his runs for one of Wisconsin's Senate seats. He served in Congress until 2012.

According to The New York Times, when Kohl announced that he would not seek a fifth term, President Barack Obama said, “America’s children will grow up in a better place thanks to his advocacy of childhood nutrition programs, a strengthened food safety system, access to affordable health care and child care and juvenile crime prevention.”

Kohl's four Senate victories — the last three in landslides —  give him arguably the most bulletproof electoral track record in modern Wisconsin history. Unlike other political juggernauts such as Bill Proxmire (his Democratic predecessor in the Senate) or former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, Kohl never lost a race.

Herb Kohl went 72 for 72 in Wisconsin

In addition to winning every Senate election, Kohl held another impressive electoral feat in Wisconsin: Winning in all 72 counties.

Kohl did this in the 2006 election against Republican challenger Robert Lorge.

That's unheard of in today's political landscape but Kohl's popularity stretched to every part of the state.

Herb Kohl was childhood best friends with Bud Selig

In addition to his NBA ties, Kohl also had a connection to the Milwaukee Brewers, its owner and former MLB commissioner Bud Selig. In fact, Kohl and Selig were childhood friends who later became roommates and fraternity brothers at the UW-Madison, according to The New York Times. In 1970, Kohl was part of the group that brought the Brewers to Milwaukee.

Herb Kohl bought the Milwaukee Bucks for a record price at the time in 1985

Sports were a large part of Kohl's life, and he had a passion for his hometown sports teams. In 1985, he purchased the Bucks for a then-record price of nearly $20 million for an NBA franchise. He liquidated some of his assets to cover the cost. He made keeping the team in Milwaukee part of his life's mission.

Kohl saw the team as an investment in Milwaukee, believing its loss would have been a psychological and economic disaster for a community struggling to recover from a recession and other adversities.

Kohl owned the team until 2014 when he sold the franchise for $550 million to New York hedge-fund investors Marc Lasry and Wes Edens. Simultaneously, he pledged $100 million to the construction of a new arena, which became Fiserv Forum next to the previous home, the BMO Harris Bradley Center. As part of the transaction, Edens and Lasry vowed to keep the franchise in Milwaukee and pledged their own $100 million to a new building.

That wasn't the only time Kohl had a chance to purchase the team. In 1968, Kohl turned down a chance to buy the Bucks franchise for $2 million. Businessmen Marvin Fishman and Wes Pavalon bought it instead.

"Milwaukee didn't need me then," Kohl said in 1985. "I think maybe Milwaukee needs me now."

The Bucks won the NBA championship in 2021 and Kohl rode in the victory parade throughout downtown Milwaukee.

Herb Kohl owned a ranch in Wyoming

In 1976, Kohl built a private dude ranch for himself in Red Hills, Wyoming. A few years earlier, he had visited a friend in Wyoming. He learned to ride horses and fell in love with the magnificent setting.

The ranch became a retreat, including for his circle of friends nicknamed the "Gang of 12." He once called basketball coach and legend Al McGuire his best friend.

At one point, he owned one-third of all the privately owned land in the Gros Ventre Valley south of Grand Teton National Park.

In 1983, in the first-ever such land swap, Kohl agreed to restrict development on 1,200 scenic acres in Wyoming in exchange for the right to develop other land. He wanted the land preserved for environmental reasons. He also wanted fair value for doing so.

Amy Rabideau Silvers, Craig Gilbert and Bill Glauber contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 interesting Herb Kohl facts: political résumé, Bud Selig friendship