Just a few weeks shy of a year ago, Major League Baseball made a decision that changed the record books when the records of the Negro Leagues were added to Major League records. It was a change that was long overdue. 

Sunday, another wrong was righted when the Early Baseball Era Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame voted to honor Buck O’Neil posthumously, into the Hall of Fame along with Negro Leagues pioneer Bud Fowler.

O’Neil has long been considered a cornerstone of the Negro Leagues and was a founding member and original director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

An ambassador for baseball and the NLBM, O’Neil championed the cause of bringing the stories of the players, coaches, owners, and fans of the Negro Leagues to the forefront of the conscience of baseball.

Although there is already a statue of Buck at the Hall of Fame as well as an award named for him, he has been locked out of the gallery in

    Continued on page 9 Cooperstown. The Buck O’Neil Award, which is given to “an individual whose extraordinary efforts enhanced baseball’s positive impact on society, broadened the game’s appeal, and whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to the qualities exhibited by O’Neil,” was established two years after O’Neil’s death in 2006.

Since that time there have been four individuals honored with the award in addition to O’Neil himself. Those honorees were Roland Hemond, Joe Garagiola, Rachel Robinson, and last year’s recipient, David Montgomery.

The last time O’Neil was eligible to be elected into the Hall of Fame was in 2006. At that time, he was denied. Although clearly a disappointment to him, Buck took it all in stride. The NLBM had hosted a party in anticipation of his nomination only to be let down by the voters once again. Buck did not, however, wish to dwell on the negative aspect of missing out. In a speech to the well-wishers gathered there, he said “If I’m a Hall of Famer in your eyes, that’s all that matters to me. Just keep on lovin’ ol’ Buck.” 

In defeat as well as in victory, Buck O’Neil remained always gracious.

Buck devoted his life to baseball, as a player, and manager. A trip to the NLBM won’t find a statue of Buck on the field that boasts bigger than life statues of  such greats as Josh Gibson, “Cool” Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige. Instead you’ll find the statue of Buck, standing with his foot on a dugout step, looking out onto the field with his Kansas City Monarchs uniform as a manager, watching the game and contemplating his next move. It is a special sight to behold, seeing Buck off to the side, out of the spotlight, working to make sure everyone around him has the best chance to be the best they can be.

Buck left an impression on almost every aspect of the game not only as player and manger but he is known as the first African-American to hold the title of coach in either American or National League history as well as a scout who signed such notables as Ernie Banks, Lou Brock, Lee Smith, Oscar Gamble, and Joe Carter. Banks, Brock, and Smith preceded O’Neil to the Hall of Fame.

O’Neil’s true passion, began to shine in the years following his time on the field as he became the unofficial spokesperson for baseball and keeping the the memories of the Negro Leagues alive. In 1990 he helped establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and dedicated his life to keeping the Negro Leagues alive. One of the most well-known appearances Buck made was in his prominent role in filmmaker Ken Burns’ “Baseball.” His singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,”  from that segment still is played on commercials for Bally Sports productions of Royals games. If you consider yourself a true baseball fan and you hear that and you do not, at the very least, get a chill (if not drop a tear or two), I personally would question if you actually had a heart.

Buck continued, even after not being put into the Hall in 2006, to promote baseball and make appearances on behalf of the NLBM up until his death late in 2006.

“Our late, great Chairman and Founder, Buck O’Neil, was a legend whose impact on the game was immeasurable,” said Bob Kendrick, the Director of the NLBM Sunday night from the NLBM. “Celebrating with Buck’s biggest fans and supporters live at the museum (Sunday) night, is now a moment etched I stone.

“His spirit never left us.”

The spirit of the kind white haired old gentleman sitting behind the plate at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City will never be forgotten. The Royals have designated the seat in which Buck O’Neil sat and traded stories with anyone fortunate enough to have been within earshot, as the “Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat.” The seat is one of Kansas City’s greatest honors for individuals impacting the community.

Joining O’Neil and Fowler for the 2022 Hall of Fame class will be, from the Golden Days Era Committee, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, and Tony Oliva. They will all be honored, along with any selections from the Baseball Writer’s Association of America Ballot, at the July 24, 2022, induction in Cooperstown, N.Y. The BBWAA selections will be announced January 25, 2022.