Buck O'Neil, the first black coach in Major League Baseball, is the honorary guest speaker at the "Opening Celebration" of Martin Luther King Jr. events at ASU East today.
Before coaching the Chicago Cubs, O'Neil was a first baseman and manager in the Negro Leagues from 1937 through 1955, and also coached Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Lou Brock.
The Negro Leagues were formed when racism and "Jim Crow" laws banned blacks from the major leagues, according to the Web site of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
O'Neil said ASU students should, "Be the best students you can. You have a wonderful opportunity because you can be anything you want to be."
Mike Mader, director of student activities, app-roached O'Neil to come to ASU East from Kansas City, MO.
"He's become an ambassador for the whole game ... but his message transcends baseball," Mader said. "He's seen and done more good things in his life than three people combined. He's inspirational."
Clinton Everhart, chair of East's Martin Luther King Jr. Committee and assistant director of student activities, coordinated the events calendar for the series that begins with O'Neil's visit and continues through Feb. 26.
The eight-part series is to honor the civil rights movement in America led by Martin Luther King Jr.
The Opening Celebration, which will be at 7 p.m. in the Campus Union Ballroom, is new, along with the "House of Refuge East Gospel Celebration" held at the Williams Community Church Sanctuary on Friday at 6 p.m.
Further details on the celebration can be found at www.asu.edu/mlk or at the east campus union front desk.
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
