Febuary 11, 2005
Thursday February 10, 8:45 am ET
Press Release Source: D.C. LotteryD.C. Lottery Presents Buck O'Neil, Negro American Baseball League All-Star, for Opening of Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Exhibit
D.C. Lottery Negro League Instant Scratch Ticket Sponsors Exhibition
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil, Negro American League All-Star, will officially open "Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Baseball Leagues" a touring exhibit from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, MO, on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m., in Union Station's West Hall, 40 Massachusetts Ave., NE. The exhibit is sponsored by the D.C. Lottery's new Negro League Instant Scratch ticket in honor of Black History Month.
O'Neil, considered a living American hero, has a baseball career that spans more than 70 years. A segregated America denied O'Neil the chance to play Major League Baseball, so he joined the Kansas City Monarchs in 1938, was named manager for the club in 1948 and continued his association with the Monarchs through the 1955 season. He has played in two Negro American League World Series. After 1955 O'Neil moved to Major League Baseball as a scout with the Chicago Cubs. He was named the first black coach of the Cubs in 1962.
O'Neil received international recognition with his narration of the Negro Leagues as part of Ken Burns' PBS documentary. Today at age 93, O'Neil is chairman of the board of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Veteran's Committee, Cooperstown, NY.
The "Discover Greatness" exhibit documents the history of African-American baseball from the late 1800s through the 1960s. The exhibit will be on display at Union Station from Feb. 21 through March 13. For more information visit the museum online at: http://www.nlbm.com.
At the end of February, the D.C. Lottery will introduce its Negro League Instant Scratch ticket, a four-part collectible series featuring photographs of the Homestead Grays, the Indianapolis Clowns, the Kansas City Monarchs and the New York Black Yankees. Players can win up to $50,000 instantly. The ticket also will include a range of "2nd Chance" prizes. For more information visit the D.C. Lottery online at: http://www.dclottery.com.
CONTACT: Cory Porter, +1-202-835-0776, cporter@mdbcomm.com, or Scott Punk, +1-202-367-1385, cell: +1-202-297-0186, jpunk@mdbcomm.com, both for D.C. Lottery.