Hall of Fame Negro Leagues Baseball Player, Manager. Playing the position of first baseman, he led the Negro National League with a .353 batting average in 1946, then hit .333 with two home runs in the Black World Series. Whether as a first baseman or manager in his years in the Negro League from 1938 to 1955, the teams many associated him with were such teams as: the Miami Giants, Shreveport Acme Giants, Memphis Red Sox and the Kansas City Monarchs. From 1948 through 1955, he managed some of the finest Kansas City Monarch clubs, leading them to five pennants and two Black World Series. He managed East-West all-star teams from 1951 to 1954. Among his players were more than 20 future major leaguers, including Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, and Hank Thompson. O'Neil became the first officially recognized black coach ever hired by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team when he was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1962. A native of Florida, he wasn't afforded the right to attend Sarasota High School and the University of Florida due to the color of his skin. He always said that hurt for it was something he wanted to do. But what surprised many was his attitude when he was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In February 2006, a special twelve person committee was formed to render final judgements on the Negro League and its players. Many thought he would be a shoe-in for the Hall because of his accomplishments in the league. Word came that seventeen were inducted, with Buck not being on the list. With the reasons never fully explained, he came one vote shy of achieving any players dream, being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A statue in his likeness is on display at the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. He passed away at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 94. On November 5, 2021, O'Neil was selected to the final ballot of 10 candidates for consideration by the Early Days Committee during voting for induction into the Hall of Fame. Candidates needed to receive at least 12 of 16 votes (75%) for election, with the results to be announced in December. On December 5, the Hall of Fame announced that O'Neil had been elected with 13 votes. He was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022.