Our American Stories

What Buck O'Neil Did After Missing the Hall of Fame by One Vote

October 7, 2026·10 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

On this episode of Our American Stories, in February 2006, Buck O'Neil and Bob Kendrick were packed and ready to fly to Florida for what they believed would be a Hall of Fame celebration. Instead, O'Neil fell one vote short. Kendrick was devastated. Hundreds of supporters gathered at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum were angry. Buck responded differently.Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, remembers how O'Neil celebrated the 17 Negro Leaguers who had been elected, comforted everyone grieving on his behalf, and then went to Cooperstown to honor them. Fifteen years later, Buck O'Neil was finally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Our American Stories and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.