This Day In Baseball
History: May 29, 1962
It was on this date in 1962 that
Negro League legend Buck O’Neil became the first African-American coach in the
history of Major League Baseball when he was hired by the Chicago Cubs. O’Neil’s
previous job had been a scout with the Cubs, which he had held since his resignation
as a manger in 1955.
O’Neil was born in 1911 and
passed away in 2006, a month shy of his 95th birthday. He played a
total of 16 seasons with the Kansas City Monarchs and is one of many players
that segregated Major League Baseball missed out on due to old prejudices. But
O’Neil never complained about his never getting a shot in the Big Leagues. If
anything, he was proud of how his baseball talent got him away from the
tortuous, mentors celery fields in his hometown of Carrabelle, Florida.
If you’ve never heard Buck O’Neil
talk baseball, and hear all the wonderful stories he had to tell, you need to
do yourself a favour and watch Ken Burns’ “Baseball” Documentary. O’Neil is one
of the interviewees and—without a doubt—the most interesting one to listen to.
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