Completed Event: Women's Volleyball versus Bowling Green on September 3, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1
Final
Women's Volleyball
3
vs Bowling Green
1
Fourth Annual Buck O’Neil Classic Set for Tuesday at Hoglund Ballpark
4/28/2025 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Buck O'Neil Classic will return in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year. This season's game to honor Buck O'Neil and the Negro Leagues will be on Tuesday against Missouri at 6 p.m. CT at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansas will be wearing its uniforms designed after the Kansas City Monarchs. Fans can purchase tickets for the Buck O'Neil Classic by clicking here.
"The Buck O'Neil Classic is a special night and we're excited to host it again this year at Hoglund Ballpark," head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. "We had the opportunity to learn about Buck O'Neil and the Negro Leagues earlier this year from Bob Kendrick on a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It's an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to play in a game that honors the legacy of those that sacrificed so much to change our culture, society, and the game of baseball."
Buck O'Neil was a first baseman and played a majority of his career for the Kansas City Monarchs. He later would be a player-manager for the Monarchs. Upon the conclusion of his time in the Negro Leagues in 1955, O'Neil was hired by the Chicago Cubs as a scout. In 1962, the Cubs promoted O'Neil to their major league coaching staff, making him the first African American coach in Major League Baseball history. O'Neil, who died in 2006, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2022 for his contributions to the game as a player, scout and manager.
O'Neil helped establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM). After starting the NLBM in a tiny, one-room office in 1990, the NLBM moved into a 10,000-square-foot home in Kansas City in 1997. O'Neil's idea was to build it into a museum, rather than a Hall of Fame, that would pay tribute to the Negro Leagues and their legendary players. O'Neil served as the chairman of the museum and helped the NLBM gain National Designation in 2006 after testifying before Congress on the museum's importance.
The first night game the Kansas City Monarchs ever played came in early March 1930 in Lawrence.
Kansas is 3-0 in the annual Buck O'Neil Classic. The first two years were played against Texas Southern and last year was versus No. 20 Nebraska. The Jayhawks scored 13 runs on 14 hits last year to prevail 13-11 against the ranked Cornhuskers.
This season, Kansas is 35-10 overall and 15-6 in Big 12 play. The 35 wins are the most in a season for Kansas since 2014 and the 15 wins in Big 12 games are tied for the most in a season in program history. The Jayhawks have at least 30 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013 and 2014. Tuesday night's game against Missouri will be the first of two midweek battles between the schools this season.
ABOUT NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM:
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the world's only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America. The privately funded, 501 c3, not-for-profit organization was established in 1990 and is in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri's Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The NLBM operates two blocks from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew "Rube" Foster established the Negro National League in 1920. To learn more about the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, please visit nlbm.com.
"The Buck O'Neil Classic is a special night and we're excited to host it again this year at Hoglund Ballpark," head coach Dan Fitzgerald said. "We had the opportunity to learn about Buck O'Neil and the Negro Leagues earlier this year from Bob Kendrick on a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It's an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to play in a game that honors the legacy of those that sacrificed so much to change our culture, society, and the game of baseball."
Buck O'Neil was a first baseman and played a majority of his career for the Kansas City Monarchs. He later would be a player-manager for the Monarchs. Upon the conclusion of his time in the Negro Leagues in 1955, O'Neil was hired by the Chicago Cubs as a scout. In 1962, the Cubs promoted O'Neil to their major league coaching staff, making him the first African American coach in Major League Baseball history. O'Neil, who died in 2006, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2022 for his contributions to the game as a player, scout and manager.
O'Neil helped establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM). After starting the NLBM in a tiny, one-room office in 1990, the NLBM moved into a 10,000-square-foot home in Kansas City in 1997. O'Neil's idea was to build it into a museum, rather than a Hall of Fame, that would pay tribute to the Negro Leagues and their legendary players. O'Neil served as the chairman of the museum and helped the NLBM gain National Designation in 2006 after testifying before Congress on the museum's importance.
The first night game the Kansas City Monarchs ever played came in early March 1930 in Lawrence.
Kansas is 3-0 in the annual Buck O'Neil Classic. The first two years were played against Texas Southern and last year was versus No. 20 Nebraska. The Jayhawks scored 13 runs on 14 hits last year to prevail 13-11 against the ranked Cornhuskers.
This season, Kansas is 35-10 overall and 15-6 in Big 12 play. The 35 wins are the most in a season for Kansas since 2014 and the 15 wins in Big 12 games are tied for the most in a season in program history. The Jayhawks have at least 30 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013 and 2014. Tuesday night's game against Missouri will be the first of two midweek battles between the schools this season.
ABOUT NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM:
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the world's only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America. The privately funded, 501 c3, not-for-profit organization was established in 1990 and is in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri's Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The NLBM operates two blocks from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew "Rube" Foster established the Negro National League in 1920. To learn more about the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, please visit nlbm.com.
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