The Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA, 11/29/1997

BUCK LEONARD - OBITUARY, November 27, 1997

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Buck Leonard, 90, regarded as the greatest first baseman in the history of the Negro Leagues, deprived of a chance to play major-league baseball but a Hall of Famer nonetheless, died Thursday. A power-hitting left-handed batter and a smooth fielder, Leonard teamed with Josh Gibson, the Negro Leagues' most fearsome slugger, to bring pennant after pennant to the Pittsburgh-based Homestead Grays. Starring for the Grays from 1934 to 1950, Leonard played in 12 East-West All-Star Games, and while accurate statistics for the Negro Leagues are elusive, by all accounts he batted well over .300 throughout his career.

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