The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Board of Directors has selected Bill White as the 2026 recipient of the John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an individual for extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball’s positive impact on society.
White, 92, will be honored with the Award at the Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 25, as part of Hall of Fame Weekend 2026.
“From a young man born in Florida, educated in Warren, Ohio who took the opportunity to raise extra cash to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, I’d like to take the time to thank the Hall for recognizing my contributions to the sport,” White said.
White becomes the seventh winner of the Buck O’Neil Award, which was established in 2007 to honor an individual whose efforts broadened the game’s appeal and whose character, integrity and dignity is comparable to the late O’Neil, who passed away in 2006 after eight decades of contributions to the game and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. O’Neil was honored as the first recipient of the Award in 2008. Roland Hemond (2011), Joe Garagiola (2014), Rachel Robinson (2017), David Montgomery (2020) and Carl Erskine (2023) are the other previous winners of the O’Neil Award.
As a player, broadcaster and executive, White blazed trails in the game as a standout performer at every level.
“Bill White’s lifetime of service made him one of the most respected figures in baseball, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame is proud to present him with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “His work as an All-Star player, pioneering executive and beloved broadcaster built a legacy of excellence that we are honored to celebrate in Cooperstown.”
The Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at its discretion, though not more frequently than every three years. A permanent, life-size bronze statue of O’Neil is located at the Hall of Fame on the Museum’s first floor and serves as the home for the award. The statue of O’Neil was created by nationally renowned sculptor William Behrends.
White, who as the National League’s president from 1989-94 was one of the highest ranking Black executives in all of sport, was born Jan. 28, 1934, in Lakewood, Fla., and raised in Warren, Ohio. Signed by the New York Giants prior to the 1953 season off the campus of Hiram College, White planned on using the $2,500 from his signing bonus to continue his pre-med studies at Hiram but quickly found success on the baseball diamond. In the Minors, he helped desegregate several leagues, including the Carolina League in 1953 – where he became the league’s second Black player.
White made it to the big leagues with the Giants in 1956, served in the Army for most of the next two years and then was traded to the Cardinals before the 1959 season. In St. Louis that year, White was selected to the first of six consecutive All-Star teams. In 1960, he won the first of seven straight Gold Glove Awards at first base. And in 1964, White finished third in the National League MVP voting while leading the Cardinals to a World Series title.
He was traded to the Phillies following the 1965 season, then returned to the Cardinals in 1969 before retiring with a .286 career batting average, 202 home runs, four 100-RBI seasons and a total of eight All-Star Game selections.
In 1971, White joined the New York Yankees broadcasting team and worked games with Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto for most of the next 18 seasons. White’s call of Bucky Dent’s home run in the 1978 one-game American League playoff remains one of the game’s most famous, and White also called postseason games for ABC Sports during this time.
But in the spring of 1989, White was offered the job as the president of the National League – a job that was being vacated by Bart Giamatti, who would soon be named the Commissioner of baseball.
White presided over NL expansion – the Marlins and Rockies joined the league in 1993 – as well as the movement to unite the two leagues under one administrative umbrella.
The Buck O’Neil Award is open to nominations from the public, at any time, through written submissions. The next O’Neil Award is eligible to be presented in 2029. Nominations must be received by June 30, 2028, and should detail how the proposed candidate carries O’Neil’s extraordinary traits. Letters of nomination should be submitted to: Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Only submissions received by mail will be considered.