KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday the Buck O'Neil Hall of Fame plaque will be brought from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. to Kansas City for public display for two days. The Buck O'Neil plaque will first be on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
The plaque will then move to Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 13. It will first be on the field during a pregame ceremony when the Royals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at 6:10 p.m. It will then be moved to the Royals Hall of Fame for display throughout the game.
There he is!
— Dia Wall (@DiaWall) July 24, 2022
John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil! He looks great on his @baseballhall plaque. #HereForBuck@KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/3blt7z5dQJ
O'Neil was formally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Dec. 5, 2021 gaining 13 of the 16 votes on the ballots. He was inducted on July 24, 2022 in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
O'Neil joined the Kansas City Monarchs in 1938 as a player. He was on the 1942 Negro World Series Championship Monarch's team. O'Neil would later go on to become the club's manager. He was the first African America coach in the American or National league, where he managed the 1962 Chicago Cubs.
He also became a baseball scout and identified future hall of famers: Ernie Banks, Lou Brock and Lee Smith. O'Neil passed away on Oct. 6, 2006 at the age of 94.
