Buck Leonard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buck Leonard |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 8, 1907 Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
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| Died: November 27, 1997 (aged 90) Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
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| debut | |||
| 1934, Homestead Grays | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1950, Homestead Grays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .345 | ||
| Hits | 724 | ||
| Home runs | 95 | ||
| Runs batted in | 550 | ||
| Stolen bases | 34 | ||
| Teams | |||
Negro leagues
Other
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1972 | ||
| Election Method | Negro Leagues Committee | ||
Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (born September 8, 1907 – died November 27, 1997) was an amazing American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He also played in the Mexican League. Buck Leonard played for the Homestead Grays from 1934 to 1950. He often batted fourth, right after the famous Josh Gibson.
The Grays teams of the 1930s and 1940s were some of the best in Negro league history. Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson were two of only nine players in the league to win more than one batting title. Buck Leonard never played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was offered a contract in 1952 but felt he was too old.
Later in his life, Buck Leonard taught physical education. He was also the vice-president of a minor league baseball team. He and Josh Gibson were chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1999, The Sporting News magazine named him number 47 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
Contents
Growing Up in North Carolina
Buck Leonard was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His brother, Charlie Leonard, also played in the Negro leagues. Their father worked on the railroad, and their mother took care of their six children.
Buck's parents called him "Buddy." But his younger brother couldn't say it right and called him "Bucky." Soon, everyone in the family called him "Buck." This nickname stayed with him his whole life.
When Buck was about seven, he loved watching baseball. He would sneak to the local white team's field. He watched games through the fence. Sometimes, the police even arrested him and his friends for peeking. This happened because the fields were segregated, meaning Black and white people had separate places.
Buck's father passed away when Buck was eleven. Buck started working after school to help his family. There was no high school for Black students in Rocky Mount. So, Buck finished eighth grade and began shining shoes at a train station. He also worked in a sock factory and for a railroad company. He later earned his high school diploma by mail. He started playing semiprofessional baseball while working. Then, he decided to become a full-time baseball player.
Playing in the Negro Leagues
Buck Leonard started his Negro league career in 1933. He played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants. In 1934, he joined the famous Homestead Grays. He stayed with this team until he retired in 1950.
The Grays teams from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s were amazing. Many people think they were one of the best baseball teams ever, no matter the race of the players. During this time, the team won nine league championships in a row!
Buck Leonard usually batted fourth in the lineup. He played right after Josh Gibson, who was a powerful hitter. In 1948, Buck led the Negro leagues with a .395 batting average. He often led the league in home runs or was second only to Josh Gibson.
Josh Gibson was known as the "Black Babe Ruth." Since Buck Leonard played first base, he was called the "Black Lou Gehrig." Together, Buck and Josh were known as the "Thunder Twins" or "Dynamite Twins." Another Negro league star, Monte Irvin, once said that if Buck Leonard had played in the major leagues, people "might have called Lou Gehrig the white Buck Leonard. He was that good." The Homestead Grays team stopped playing after 1950.
Playing in Mexico
After 1950, Buck Leonard went to play in the Mexican League. In this league, teams played three games a week. This slower pace was good for an older player like Buck. Buck said he got sick from the water every year he went to Mexico. But he still enjoyed playing there.
For much of his time in Mexico, he played for teams managed by Cuban baseball star Martín Dihigo. Buck was very impressed by Dihigo's knowledge of baseball. In 1952, Buck Leonard was offered a contract to play in Major League Baseball. But he was 45 years old. He felt he was too old and didn't want to embarrass himself. He also didn't want to hurt the efforts to allow Black players into MLB. He stayed in Mexico until 1955. He played for teams in Torreón, Xalapa, Durango, and Obregón.
Life After Baseball
After he stopped playing baseball, Buck Leonard worked in different jobs. He was a truant officer, helping kids go to school. He also taught physical education. He even started his own real estate company.
From 1962 to 1972, he was the vice president of the Rocky Mount Leafs. Then, from 1973 to 1975, he was vice president of the Rocky Mount Phillies. These were minor league baseball teams.
Buck Leonard was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Josh Gibson was also inducted that year. At his induction ceremony, Buck Leonard said that players in the Negro leagues felt they were helping baseball. He said they loved the game, even though they didn't earn much money.
In 1974, Buck was also inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He had a stroke in the 1980s. In 1994, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh. This was the hometown of his old team, the Grays. Buck, who was 88 years old, was named an honorary captain. He wore a replica of a Grays uniform.
Just before he passed away in 1997, the state of North Carolina honored him. They recognized his important contributions to baseball. His death later that year was due to problems from his earlier stroke.
Buck Leonard's Legacy
In 1999, The Sporting News magazine put Buck Leonard at number 47 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. He was one of only five players on the list who played most of their careers in the Negro leagues. He was also a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Other famous players who played with Buck Leonard said he had a very quick bat. Catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Dave Barnhill both praised his hitting. Barnhill said, "You could put a fastball in a shotgun and you couldn't shoot it by him." Negro league pitcher Leon Day even said he would rather pitch against Josh Gibson than Buck Leonard.
The owner of the Grays, Cumberland Posey, said Buck Leonard was one of the best clutch hitters in the Negro leagues. A clutch hitter is someone who performs well in important moments of a game.
On August 10, 2010, Buck Leonard was named to the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor. This was for his "significant contribution to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C." as part of the Homestead Grays.
Images for kids
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Buck Leonard
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Buck Leonard's Hall of Fame induction plaque
See also
In Spanish: Buck Leonard para niños
