Buck O’Neil, byname of John Jordan O’Neil, Jr., (born November 13, 1911, Carrabelle, Florida, U.S. died October 6, 2006, Kansas City, Missouri), American baseball player who was a player and manager in the Negro leagues. O’Neil was raised in Sarasota, Florida, and began playing baseball on a semiprofessional level at age 12. He attended Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida, after being turned away from a segregated high school. There he earned a high school diploma and completed two years of college. In 1937 O’Neil was signed to the Memphis Red Sox in the Negro American League. He debuted as a