John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil, the first Black coach in Major League Baseball, finally got acknowledged by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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After an illustrious career in the Negro Leagues with the Monarchs – where he batted .300 several seasons and also served as a successful manager for the team, leading his former squad to two league titles– he became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball in 1962.

He was also instrumental in helping to establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. in 1990.

A year after he died in October 2006, the Hall of Fame issued a lifetime -achievement award in his honor.

The baseball shrine will dedicate a statue to the former Negro League star in Cooperstown, N.Y.