Baseball, Jazz & All That Swing! Buck Leonard Association Annual Gala and Inaugural Buck Leonard 1st Baseman’s Hall of Fame Induction.

Emcee Chris Lovingood of WRAL and several special guests of honor will help us celebrate heroes from the diamond and in the community. Join us as we induct the first 7 members of the Buck Leonard First Baseman’s Hall of Fame:

Martin Dihigo, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Buck O’Neil, Tony Perez, Joe Staton and Ben Taylor.

Special guests will include Negro Leaguers Sam Allen and Clifford Layton! Plus Sean Gibson – great grandson of legendary slugger Josh Gibson, and executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation; and Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Established in 2022, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Buck Leonard’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Buck Leonard First Baseman’s Hall of Fame has been created as a feature of significance for Rocky Mount, that recognizes and celebrates positive role models for the residents and visitors of our community.

For consideration, nominees must have had careers of marked accomplishment in baseball, business, and/or community service, while consistently modeling qualities of, integrity, leadership, determination, and perseverance. As ballplayers, nominees must have played a notable portion of their careers at the position of 1st base.

With goals for diversity and the representation of success on and off the ballfield, the nomination and selection processes give special consideration for: Former Negro Leaguers, former Rocky Mount minor Leaguers, fellow North Carolinians, and all historically underrepresented peoples. Participants from all-levels of diamond sports are considered.

ALSO!

Buck Leonard Virtual Reality Experience, featuring the award-winning Barnstormers: Determined to Win

Live Music

Best of Town Food Court

Negro Leagues Art

Auction highlighted by Hall of Fame portraits by artist Darryl Matthews – the son of Negro Leaguer Fran Matthews!

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS.