Buck O'Neil (1911 - 2006)

Baseball lost one of its classiest people on Friday, October 6, when Buck O'Neil died from cancer of the bone marrow and congestive heart failure at the age of 94. His smile, class and passion for America's pastime will be greatly missed.

O'Neil was a player and manager in the Negro Leagues during the 1930's and 1940's. A natural first baseman, O'Neil was a lifetime .288 hitter, and posted four .300-plus seasons. He led the league in hitting in 1946 with a .353 average, and notched a career-best .358 in 1947. He played in two Negro League World Series. He was a teammate of Satchel Paige early in his career.

O'Neil never played in the major leagues, but became the majors first black coach in 1962 with the Chicago Cubs. He worked as a scout for both the Cubs and the Kansas City Royals.

Off the field, O'Neil spent the latter part of his life promoting the legendary players of the Negro Leagues. He gained national prominence for charismatic narration as part of Ken Burns' 1994 documentary, Baseball, on PBS at the age of 82. In 1990, he led the effort to establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City.

He also worked tirelessly to have former Negro League stars inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee from 1981 to 2000. He was nominated to a special Hall ballot for Negro League players, managers, and executives in 2006, but failed (by one vote) to receive the necessary 75% to gain admission; however, 17 other Negro League figures were selected.

Many people, including myself, were disppointed that O'Neil was not selected to the Hall of Fame. Instead of complaining, he said, "God's been good to me. They didn't think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That's the way they thought about it and that's the way it is, so we're going to live with that. Now, if I'm a Hall of Famer for you, that's all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don't weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful. "

I had the good fortune of meeting Buck O'Neil in 1997 while working for the Charlotte Knights. He came to town for an autograph session to promote the Negro Leagues. He had a smile as wide as Missouri and he loved talking baseball. He was one of the most genuine people that I've ever met.

Rest in peace, Mr. O'Neil.