Buck Leonard

Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (September 8, 1907 – November 27, 1997) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, he was the brother of fellow Negro leaguer Charlie Leonard. He played for the Homestead Grays from 1934 to 1950, batting fourth behind Josh Gibson for many years. The Grays teams of the 1930s and 1940s were considered among the best in Negro league history. Leonard and Gibson are two of only nine players in league history to win multiple batting titles. In 1940–1941, Leonard batted .390 for the Puerto Rican team Indios de Mayagüez, hitting 8 home runs and driving in 45 runs while leading the league in home runs, doubles, and slugging (.754). Leonard never played in Major League Baseball; he declined a 1952 offer of an MLB contract because he felt he was too old. Late in life, he worked as a physical education instructor and served as vice-president of a minor league baseball team. He and Gibson were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1999, he was ranked number 47 on the 100 Greatest Baseball Players list by The Sporting News.