Friends and strangers gathered at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Saturday, October 7, to mourn the loss of John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil. O'Neil died Friday night from complications of congestive heart failure. He had recently been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. He was 94.

"We lost a great piece of not only sports history, but American history, with the death of Buck O'Neil," stated Museum Marketing Director Bob Kendrick.

Buck O'Neil

O'Neil served as a first baseman for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro Baseball League. He later signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, eventually becoming manager of the team. He starred in two Negro League World Series and won a Negro National League batting title. O'Neil was responsible for more than three dozen black baseball players gaining admission into Major League organizations.

In 1956, O'Neil became a scout for the Chicago Cubs. In 1962, he became a coach of the Cubs, making him the first African American coach in the Major Leagues. O'Neil coached future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Lou Brock. He joined the Kansas City Royals as a scout in 1988.

In 1993, just prior to starring in the documentary Baseball, O'Neil and several former Negro League players visited Penn Valley to autograph a photograph poster designed and produced by the MCC marketing department commemorating Black History Month and in recognition of the Negro Baseball League.

At a table in the lower level of the Campus Center O'Neil conversed with fans, as well as students, conveying the importance of a good education and encouraging them to strive to achieve their goals.

O'Neil was instrumental in the inception and building of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and had been active in the restoration of the Historic 18th and Vine District. This year, O'Neil was denied entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by one vote.

"I'm going to miss him because he was always very positive with me and was always rooting for me," said Mets manager Willie Randolph before game three of New York's National League Playoff Series against Los Angeles. "As a matter of fact, when I got the job, he left me a voice mail congratulating me."

O'Neil's body lay in state at the Museum's Field of Legends Gallery so well-wishers could pay their respects. There was a private funeral and burial service on October 14, followed by a separate public memorial service at Municipal Auditorium.

Kendrick said he hopes the John "Buck" O'Neil Education and Research Center, to be located in a YMCA around the corner from the Museum, will serve as a tribute to O'Neil. It was in that building that the Negro Leagues were formed. Plans for the Center are expected to be finalized by O’Neil’s birthday next month.

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