Copyright 2016 Truman State University Press, Kirksville, Missouri, 63501 All rights reserved tsup.truman.edu Cover art: Buck O Neil, courtesy Baseball Hall of Fame; baseball memorabilia, collection of Jeff Gall, photographed by Teresa Wheeler. Cover design: Teresa Wheeler Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Gall, Jeff, author. Gall, Micah, author. Title: Buck O Neil : baseball s ambassador / Jeff Gall and Micah Gall. Description: Kirksville, Missouri : Truman State University Press, [2016] Series: Notable Missourians Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016007411 (print) LCCN 2016008828 (ebook) ISBN 9781612481760 (library binding : alk. paper) ISBN 9781612481777 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: O Neil, Buck, 1911 2006. Baseball players United States Biography. African American baseball players Biography. Classification: LCC GV865.O48 G35 2016 (print) LCC GV865.O48 (ebook) DDC 796.357092--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016007411 No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any format by any means without written permission from the publisher. The paper in this publication meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48 1992.
Contents Introduction...4 Chapter 1: Growing Up in Florida..6 Chapter 2: Becoming a Baseball Player...14 Chapter 3: Great Years with the Monarchs...21 Chapter 4: War and New Opportunities...28 Chapter 5: Baseball s Great Ambassador...36 Legacy: Remembering Buck...44 Timeline...45 For Further Reading...46 Index...48 Image Credits...48
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Introduction Buck O Neil grew up playing baseball, but he knew that because of his race, he could never play baseball in the major leagues. From an early age, Buck had heroes who played in the Negro Leagues, where the very best African American players of the era competed. As he grew into a fine player himself, he had the chance to play for many years in the Negro Leagues, becoming first an All- Star player and then a winning manager. His best years were as a player and manager for the famous Kansas City Monarchs in the 1930s and 1940s. As a player Buck helped the Monarchs win the Negro League World Series and as a manager he led the Monarchs to three league titles. But Buck s contribution to baseball continued long after his days with the Monarchs. He became one of the game s best talent scouts and was the first African American coach in the major leagues. Late in his life he had a key role in helping America remember how great the Negro Leagues had been. He led an effort to build a museum in Kansas City to honor those black players and tell their remarkable stories. Buck O Neil was one of baseball s greatest ambassadors. v 5
Chapter 1 Growing Up in Florida When Buck O Neil was born in the small fishing village of Carabelle, Florida, on November 13, 1911, he wasn t even Buck yet. That name would come later. He was born John Jordan O Neil, the same name as his father. When John was a boy, his father called him Jay. John s father worked with a crew that cut trees and took them to a sawmill to make lumber. His crew traveled around Florida, so John s dad would be home only a day or two every few weeks. John s mother, Luella, 6
was mostly alone as she raised young John, his older sister, Fanny, and his younger brother, Warren. John s grandfather Julius O Neil had been a slave in the Carolinas, where he was owned by a family named O Neil. Julius took his owner s last name, as many slaves did. Julius was still alive when John was a small boy and lived to be ninety- eight years old. For the rest of his life, John remembered the stories his grandfather told him about life as a slave. When John was nine, his family moved to Sarasota, Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico. His mother was a fine cook, so she and John s dad opened a In 1920, when Buck was a boy, Sarasota had a population of 2,149. The city grew after the Ringling Brothers Circus made Sarasota their winter headquarters. Sarasota was also known as a center for Florida s celery-growing industry. 7
Chapter 3 Great Years with the Monarchs As late as the 1880s, a few African American baseball players still played on professional teams with white players. But then the major leagues barred black players. That led to the creation of independent black professional teams. The man behind the Negro Leagues was Rube Foster, a famous black pitcher in his younger days with the Chicago American Giants. He organized a meeting in Kansas City in 1920 that formed the Negro National League with eight 21
teams, including the Kansas City Monarchs and the St. Louis Giants (the Giants later became the St. Louis Stars). In 1938, when Buck was twenty- six, he was thrilled to be playing for the great Kansas City Monarchs. The Monarchs played league games and also barnstormed, often playing white town teams and drawing large crowds. Both black and white fans marveled at their skills. At that time, a white man named J. L. Wilkinson owned the Monarchs. Buck greatly admired him. He thought Wilkerson was a genius and liked that he did not care about anyone s race. The Kansas City Monarchs had a traveling light system that made it possible for them to play night games. The system inspired the white major leagues to start playing night games too. 22
Chapter 5 Baseball s Great Ambassador In 1955, Buck O Neil resigned as manager of the Kansas City Monarchs and accepted an offer from the Chicago Cubs to become the first African American scout in the major leagues. Baseball scouts travel the country looking for talented young players. Buck s success as a scout matched his success as a manager. He quickly became invaluable to the Cubs as he signed and mentored many great players, including future Hall-of-Famer Lou Brock. He also served as a mentor in 36
the lives and careers of Cub players Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, two men who would also go on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after long and celebrated careers. Every player Buck encountered praised his joyful spirit and love of life. In 1962, at the age of fifty, Buck was promoted to a coach for the Cubs, a job he held for two seasons. He was the first African American to be given Even after baseball was integrated, it was unusual for African Americans to work in management positions. As a scout for the Chicago Cubs, Buck found young players and helped them become successful. As a coach for the Cubs, he helped players improve their game. One of the players Buck coached was Ernie Banks, who was known as Mr. Cub. 37
Legacy Remembering Buck Buck O Neil lived a long life and loved the game of baseball to the very end of his life. He never played in the major leagues because African American players during his era were denied that opportunity. But Buck never complained. He took pride in his wonderful career as a player and manager in the Negro Leagues. Then later in life he worked as a coach and a scout for two major league teams, the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals. Everyone who met him found his joyful spirit to be unforgettable. Buck personally worked to make sure Americans would come to know and never forget the stories of so many great Negro League players. His legacy can be seen today in the museum he founded: the world-famous Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. His legacy is also seen in the fact that the Royals still honor him each game by letting a different Kansas Citian who has made a great contribution to the community sit in Buck s old seat at Kauffman Stadium. Fittingly, it is called the Buck O Neil Legacy Seat. v 44
Timeline November 13, 1911: Buck O Neil is born in Carabelle, Florida 1923: At age 12, Buck plays baseball with a men s team in Sarasota, Florida 1929 to 1933: Buck attends Edward Waters College to finish high school and take two years of college classes, plays baseball for Coach Ox Clemons 1933: Buck plays professional baseball with the Tampa Black Smokers and the Miami Giants 1937: Buck makes Negro Leagues debut with the Memphis Red Sox 1938: Buck begins career with the Kansas City Monarchs 1942: Buck and the Monarchs win Negro Leagues World Series 1943 to 1946: Buck serves in the U.S. Navy during World War II 1946: Buck and Ora are married; Buck returns to the Monarchs 1948: Buck becomes manager of the Monarchs while still serving as first baseman 1955: Buck is hired by Chicago Cubs, first African American scout in major leagues 1962: Buck becomes coach for Cubs, first African American coach in major leagues 1988: Buck retires from Cubs; is hired by Kansas City Royals as special assignment scout 1994: Buck is featured in Ken Burns s film Baseball November 1, 1997: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum officially opens in Kansas City November 2, 1997: Ora dies at the age of 82 2006: Buck speaks at National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony on behalf of Negro Leagues baseball stars and executives being inducted October 6, 2006: Buck dies at the age of 94 December 7, 2006: President George W. Bush honors Buck with Presidential Medal of Freedom 2008: National Baseball Hall of Fame honors Buck with a statue and the Buck O Neil Lifetime Achievement Award 45
For Further Reading For Young Readers Morrison, Frank, and Charles R. Smith Jr. Stars in the Shadows: The Negro League All- Star Game of 1934. New York: Atheneum Books, 2012. Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. New York: Hyperion, 2008. Osborne, Linda Barrett. Miles to Go for Freedom: Segregation and Civil Rights in the Jim Crow Years. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012. Ramsey, Calvin A., Gwen Strauss, and Floyd Cooper. Ruth and the Green Book. Minneapolis, MN: Caroirhoda Books, 2010. Ritter, Lawrence S., and Richard Merkin. Leagues Apart: The Men and Times of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1995. Sturm, James, and Rich Tommasco. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. New York: Hyperion, 2007. Websites The Best of Buck O Neil. http://buckoneil.com/ Buck O Neil. Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Speech, July 2006. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lte2i6jsung Buck O Neil. Interview by Keith Olbermann. Countdown with Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, March 1, 2006. http://www. nbcnews.com/video/countdown/11629134-11629134 46
John Buck O Neil, interview. Jackie Robinson Being Signed to the Major Leagues. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ba1zqgcigyw National Baseball Hall of Fame. Buck O Neil Award. http:// baseballhall.org/discover/buck-oneil-award Negro Leagues Baseball Museum website. https://www.nlbm. com/ Obituary for Buck O Neil, New York Times, October 7, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/sports/ baseball/07oneil.html?_r=0 Passan, Jeff. Buck O Neil Becomes an Immortal. Yahoo Sports, July 24, 2008. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ news?slug=jp- buckoneil072408 Sources Corey Mary E., and Harnischfeger Mark. Before Jackie: The Negro Leagues, Civil Rights, and the American Dream. Ithaca: Paramount Books, 2014. Lanctot, Neil. Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. O Neil, Buck (with Steve Wulf and David Conrads). I Was Right on Time. New York: Simon & Shuster, 1996. Peterson, Robert. Only the Ball Was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All- Black Professional Teams. New York: Oxford, 1992. Posnanski, Joe. The Soul of Baseball. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. Robinson, Jackie (and Alfred Duckett). I Never Had it Made. New York: G. P. Putnam s Sons, 1972. Tye, Larry. Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend. New York: Random House, 2009. 47
African American newspapers, 9, 10, 12, 26 Baseball Hall of Fame, 42, 43 civil rights and NAACP, 11, 30, 33 coach, Buck O Neil as, 37 38 education for African Americans, 10 11, 13, 14 16 honors for Buck O Neil, 41 43 Kansas City Monarchs, 10, 20, 22 24 manager, Buck O Neil as, 35 Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 39 40 Negro Leagues, history of, 21 22, 24, 25 27, 28, 34, 41 Original art by John Hare: pgs. 6, 14, 21, 28, and 36. Index Image Credits 48 Negro Leagues, style of play in, 24 25 Negro Leagues, teams in, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23 O Neil, Ora Lee (Owens), 27, 28 31, 33, 34, 38, 39 40 parents and family of Buck O Neil, 6 8, 10, 11, 12 13 Robinson, Jackie, 32 33 Ruth, Babe, 8 9, 24 25 scout, Buck O Neil as, 36 37, 38 39 segregation (Jim Crow), 8 11, 17 19, 21, 29 30 World War II, 28 30, 31 Baseball Hall of Fame: cover and p. 4, Buck O Neil. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons: p. 3, 9, 18, 24, 31, 41, 44 (background), Baseball (Tage Olsin, Sept. 2006); p. 19, 1931 Reo Royale Victoria Eight (dave_7, Feb. 2006); p. 30, poster for NAACP March to Freedom, August 28, 1955 (US National Archives and Records Administration, ID279310); p. 31, Mail on Sorting Table (9522135231), Thomas H. Swanson Collection (COLL/5358), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections; p. 42, Buck O Neil Legacy Seat (Sawblade5, April 2009); p. 43, Fr. Ted Hesburgh s Congressional Medal of Freedom (Know1one1, Jan. 2012). Library of Congress, Maps Division: p. 7, Rand-McNally Indexed County and Township Pocket Map, Chicago: Rand McNally, 1900 (#986788459). Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division: p. 8, Babe Ruth, New York AL (baseball), Bank News Service, [1921] (#ggb2006007798); p. 10, First colored world series, opening game Oct. 11, 1924, Kansas City, Mo., photo by J.E. Miller, (#2002719389); p. 11, Negro drinking at Colored water cooler, photo by Russell Lee, July 1939 (#fsa1997026728/pp); p. 12, The Pittsburgh Courier is widely read, Chicago, IL, photo by Lee Russell, April 1941 (#fsa1998002241/pp); p. 17, A café, Durham, NC, photo by Jack Delano, May 1940 (#fsa1998006213/pp); p. 22, Night baseball, Marshall, TX, photo by Lee Russell, April 1939 (#fsa1997025979/pp). Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City: p. 15, Ox Clemons; p. 16, New York Black Yankees, 1940s; p. 22, Kansas City Monarchs night baseball truck; p. 24, Kansas City Monarchs, 1941; p. 26, Crowd at Monarchs v. Clowns game, 1953; p. 27, Ora Lee Owen O Neil (cropped); p. 34, Buck and Ora O Neil; p. 37, Buck O Neil as a scout, 1950s; p. 37, Buck O Neil with Ernie Banks, 1962, photo by George Brace; p. 39, entrance, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; p. 40, Field of Legends, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. New York Public Library, Digital Collections: p. 19, The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1938 (image ID 5206451, catalog ID b12859451). Image by Shutterstock.com: p. 23, High detailed United States of America physical map with labeling (#392033755). Courtesy of Kansas City Royals: p. 25, Dressed to the Nines Day (#7674, #7671). U.S. National Park Service: p. 29, African American Stevedores photo album, Loading2. Courtesy of Jeff Gall: p. 38, Buck O Neil with Micah and Becky Gall, 1994. Courtesy of Elizabeth Ahrens: p. 38, Buck O Neil with Elizabeth Ahrens, 2006.