Behind the visitor's dugout at Falcon Park, he was a regular fixture. Chuck Savage, always with several of his 12 grandchildren in tow, held Auburn Doubledays season tickets for many years, which seemed only natural since given his role in Auburn baseball that spanned decades.

On Friday, Auburn baseball lost an ambassador when Savage, 76, passed away.

“It was definitely a surprise to us,” Doubledays general manager Carl Gutelis said. “He was so active, bringing his grandkids to all the games. It's a very sad day for us.”

Outside of the baseball community, Savage was well-known for being a Cayuga County Democratic Party state committee member, an Auburn City Clerk and serving on the county Legislature for 22 years, seven of those as a minority leader. He was also the past president and founder of the Auburn Maroons Booster Club as well as a volunteer with many local organizations, including the American Red Cross.

Savage was often mistaken for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, even during the winter baseball meetings in Florida.

“I think he loved it,” said Charlie Wride, Auburn baseball's historian and friend of Savage. “He was kind of an instant celebrity around town, even if it was for the wrong reasons.”

The former President of the Auburn Baseball Club had a big hand in keeping a professional minor league baseball team in Auburn.

“He represented Auburn well,” Gutelis said. “He was a lot like Leo (Pinckney), lending a lot of support to the team, whether it was by communicating it or raising donations. He was a driving force behind keeping the park alive.”

“He and I were vice presidents of Auburn Baseball years and years ago when Leo was president,” Wride said. “And Leo would joke to us that we'd never become president because he'd never step down, but that was exactly what happened. We worked side by side for many years, back when everything was volunteer. Chuck was there through thick and thin.”

Aside from Savage's family, which included his wife Peggy and two daughters, he might be most remembered for his great friendship with the late Pinckney.

“His greatest legacy was probably his friendship with Leo,” Gutelis said. “He helped him out a lot in his later years and he was just a great person. Chuck was a great friend to Leo and he was a great friend to Auburn baseball.”