Jacksonville, Edward Waters University ties strong for Baseball Hall of Famer Buck O'Neil
This year, on the diamond of J.P. Small Memorial Stadium, Edward Waters University played ball with a new designation — the college of a Baseball Hall of Famer.
Over the weekend, Buck O'Neil, the longtime infielder with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during baseball's segregated years and a former Edward Waters ballplayer nearly a century ago, officially enters the ranks of baseball immortality and adds a name to Jacksonville's storied list of giants of the diamond.
On July 24, O'Neil, who died in 2006, will receive formal enshrinement at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The Hall voted O'Neil into its membership in December.
O'Neil joins a list of Hall of Famers with Jacksonville ties — among them, Chipper Jones competed in high school baseball at Bolles, Bill Terry lived in the city for some four decades after his New York Giants career and the likes of Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson played with minor league teams on the First Coast.
His Edward Waters connection leaves a legacy that's unique among city baseball giants, and one with a tangible legacy. O'Neil's statue stands in front of J.P. Small Memorial Stadium, where today's Tigers played home games on their way to the Black College World Series title in the spring.
"To have someone from our university to enter the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, this is huge for our institution," EWU athletic director Paul Bryant said.
O'Neil, born in the Panhandle town of Carrabelle in 1911, came to Jacksonville and played both baseball and football at Edward Waters before beginning his decades-long career in the Negro Leagues, where he twice earned All-Star recognition as an infielder lining up against giants of the game. He spent the majority of his playing career, from 1938 to 1948, with the Kansas City Monarchs, where his teammates included the likes of Hall of Famers Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith.
At Raines High School, just a few miles north of the fields where O'Neil played during his Edward Waters days, the Hall of Fame selection of an athlete who competed near their home left an imprint on today's players this spring.
"It's a big inspiration to me, and I'm sure for everybody else on the team," said Raines senior Kris Simmons said in an interview with the Times-Union during the regular season.
Raines baseball coach Jonathan Hicks said O'Neil's determination on the diamond pointed to the value of mastering the mental side of baseball.
"We're trying to get our guys into that mindset," Hicks said earlier this spring. "It's about the preparation and inspiration."
Despite modest home-run power for a first baseman, O'Neil earned three Negro League All-Star appearances and a batting title while receiving accolades for his fielding.
O'Neil also surmounted barriers as a pioneering coach and scout in the majors after his playing career, and worked tirelessly throughout his life to preserve the Negro Leagues' history for the generations to come. In 2020, Major League Baseball officially recognized the leagues' status as major.
"Being the first Black coach in the majors [with the Chicago Cubs], being Midwest Scout of the Year [while in the Kansas City Royals organization], those are things we're so proud of," Bryant said. "He set a standard for all that have come after him."
Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Buck O'Neil: Baseball Hall of Famer tied to Edward Waters University, Jacksonville
