Walter F. "Buck" Leonard - Rocky Mount, NC - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Walter F. “Buck” Leonard was born on September 8, 1907 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. When Leonard was about seven years old, he would sneak over to the baseball field of the local white team and watch games through the fence. Local police even once arrested Leonard and his friends when they were caught peeking through the fence at the segregated field. Leonard's father died when he was eleven and Leonard picked up jobs after school to help his family. There was no black high school in Rocky Mount, so Leonard finished the eighth grade and went to work shining shoes for a rail station. Buck began his Negro league career in 1933 with the Brooklyn Royal Giants, then moved to the legendary Homestead Grays in 1934, the team he played for until his retirement in 1950. The Grays of the late 1930s through the mid-1940s are considered one of the greatest teams of any race ever assembled. The team won nine league pennants in a row during that time. Leonard batted fourth in their lineup behind Josh Gibson. He led the Negro leagues in batting average in 1948 with a mark of .395, and usually either led the league in home-grown runs or finished second in homers to teammate Gibson. Together, the pair was colloquially known as the "Thunder Twins" or "Dynamite Twins". After retiring as a player, Leonard worked as a truant officer, served as a physical education instructor and started a realty company. He was vice president of the Rocky Mount Leafs, a minor league baseball team. In the 1970s, the Leafs were a Class A farm team for the Detroit Tigers. Even though Buck Leonard never played in the Major Leagues he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, along with his teammate Josh Gibson. Leonard was also inducted into the North Carolina Sport Hall of Fame in 1974. In the early 1980’s Leonard suffered a stroke and for the next several years his health declined. But in 1994 the 88-year old Leonard was named honorary captain of the Major League All-Star game held in Pittsburgh. Leonard appeared wearing the uniform of the Homestead Grays. Buck Leonard died on November 27, 1997 and is resting in the Gardens of Gethsemane Cemetery near Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
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Description: Walter “Buck” Leonard was one of the best pure hitters to play in the Negro Leagues. He was also a key part of the Homestead Grays dynasty of the 1930s and 1940s. The first baseman spent his entire 17-year career with the Grays, the longest term of service for a player with one team in Negro league history. He played in a league-record 11 East-West All-Star games and from 1937 to 1945. Beginning in 1942, the Grays found themselves in four consecutive Negro World Series, winning in 1943 and 1944. At the age of 45, with the color barrier broken, he was offered a major league contract, but turned it down. “In 1952, I knew I was over the hill,” Leonard said. “I didn't try to fool myself.” League statistics have Leonard batting .320 for his career with a .527 slugging percentage. The number of recorded home runs, runs scored and runs driven in are varied, but there is agreement that Leonard was at the top of his class. “Buck Leonard was as smooth a first baseman as I ever saw,” said booking agent Eddie Gottlieb. “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.” Leonard wasn't able to get a high school diploma until the age of 52, because his hometown didn't have a high school that allowed education for African-Americans. Always an advocate for civil rights, he was an ambassador for Negro League baseball until his death at age 90. In 1999, the Sporting News ranked the slugger No. 47 on its list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. He was one of only five men on the list who played most of, or their entire career in the Negro leagues. Leonard was also honored as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century team. Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame Date of birth: 09/08/1907 Date of death: 11/27/1997 Area of notoriety: Sports Marker Type: Tomb (above ground) Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - Dawn to Dusk Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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