Buck O’Neil was recently elected posthumously to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had been a star in the Negro League and was a promoter of the joys of baseball. He never got to play in the major leagues, but he did become the first African-American MLB coach. He appears prominently in the Ken Burns baseball documentary.

When the Hall of Fame began admitting members from the Negro League, seventeen players were chosen for the first induction in 2006, but not Buck O’Neil. He did not become resentful, but welcomed the new policy decision. He said in an interview, “God’s been good to me. They didn’t think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That’s the way they thought about it, and that’s the way it is, so we’re going to live with that. Now, if I’m a Hall of Famer for you, that’s all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don’t weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful.”

In what some would consider an insult, they asked Buck to give an induction speech on behalf of the other players who had all died. He accepted and delivered a memorable speech. He closed the speech by leading the audience in a praise chorus.

Buck died two months later. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. Now he has a plaque and statue in the Baseball Hall of Fame.