Buck Leonard Historical Marker

A historical marker is located here commemorating Baseball Hall-of-Famer Walter “Buck” Leonard (1907-1997). This location is dedicated to the birthplace of Buck Leonard. The famed athlete played for the Homestead Grays in the “Negro Leagues” as a first baseman for the entirety of his fifteen-year career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. Leonard passed away in 1997.

Walter “Buck” Leonard was an African American professional baseball player. He played in the “Negro Leagues” from 1933-1950. He was born in 1907 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Leonard was not able to receive his high school diploma until he was fifty-two because Rocky Mount did not have a school for African Americans when he was a youth.

His baseball career earned him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1972. For the entirety of his career, which lasted fifteen years, he played for the Homestead Grays. The Grays played in four consecutive “Negro World Series.” Of the four, the Grays won twice in 1943 and again in 1944.

Sporting News placed Leonard as #47 of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. The Baseball Hall of Fame website states, “League statistics have Leonard batting .320 for his career with a .519 slugging percentage over 1,675 plate appearances.”

“Buck Leonard was as smooth a first baseman as I ever saw. In those days, the first baseman on a team in the Negro Leagues often played the clown. They had a funny way of catching the ball so the fans would laugh, but Leonard was strictly baseball – a great glove, a (heck) of a hitter, and drove in runs.” -Eddie Gottlieb, booking agent.

[1] Buck Leonard, National Baseball Hall of Fame. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/leonard-buck.