Baseball legend Buck O'Neil was enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, a long overdue honor.
He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in December.
O’Neal died in 2006 at the age of 94 – he was born in Carrabelle in 1911.
Dr. Angela Terry, the niece of O’Neil, accepted O’Neil's enshrinement on his behalf.
Buck O’Neil spent nearly 80 years around professional baseball, starting in the negro leagues and becoming the first black coach in Major League baseball.
He broke into the Negro American League with the Memphis Red Sox in 1937, then played first base for the Kansas City Monarchs starting in 1938 helping the Monarchs capture four consecutive Negro American League pennants.
In 1948, O’Neil was named player-manager of the Monarchs before becoming a scout for the Chicago Cubs.
The franchise promoted him to their major league coaching staff in 1962, making him the first Black coach to serve on an AL or NL roster.
O’Neil was also a driving force in the creation of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum which was established in 1990.
O’Neil served as its first chairman.
In 2008 the Baseball Hall of Fame also created the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award to honor individuals whose efforts enhance baseball's positive impact on society, has broadened the game's appeal, and whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to the qualities exhibited by O'Neil.
O’Neil received the first award posthumously and the award is now presented to a worthy recipient no more than every three years.
Buck O'Neil also has a statue in his honor as well as a baseball field named after him at the Will Kendrick Sports Complex in Carrabelle.
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