John O'Neil with the 1946 Philadelphia Phillies

John O'Neil

John O'Neil of Jamestown was the oldest inductee placed in Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame at the organization's 31st annual induction dinner on February 20, 2012.

O'Neil will be 92 on April 19 and it was on that date in 1920 when he was born in Shelbiana, Ky., and eventually made a name for himself in the field of baseball.

Nicknamed "Tip" or "Scooter", O'Neil learned baseball from his father, who was a semi-pro player and a railroad worker.

O'Neil was involved in professional baseball for 45 years serving from 1939-1984 as player, player/manager, manager, general manager and scout.

He started out his career in 1939 at Tallahassee, Florida, and Greenville, Tennessee., and in 1940 joined Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Bristol. Virginia, before coming to Jamestown of the PONY League in 1941.

O'Neil played shortstop for the Falcons, which won the PONY League title with a 68-42 record. He batted .285 over 109 games with 133 hits and 46 RBIs.

He was named the Most Popular Jamestown Falcon by a vote of the fans while leading the league with 476 at-bats and was a teammate of another Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame inductee, John Newman.

While in Jamestown, O'Neil met Jeannette Swanson, who was the daughter of Ed Swanson, the owner of Ed's Market on the corner of Second and Winsor streets. They were married and enjoyed nearly 65 years of marriage before she passed away in 2008. They had daughter, Bonnie, a 1963 Jamestown High School graduate.

O'Neil played for Buffalo, Elmira and Pittsfield in 1942 and was an all-star shortstop at Pittsfield that year with a .297 average and led the league in fielding percentage with a .947.

Top row (left to right): Harry Bisgeier (owner), Johnny Newman, Dick Schmidt, Walt Balash, Pete Angell, Frank Carswell, Frank Smrekar, Earl Rapp, Samuel Amico (business manager) Middle row: Wilbur Hardin, Johnny O'Neil, Frank Heller, Greg Mulleavy (manager), Stan Rogola, Allen Haskell, Duane Shaffer Bottom row: Johnny Pollock, Bob Swanson, Ray Borowicz, Jack Gallagher (batboy)

From 1943-1945, he spent three seasons in Portland where in 1945 he led the Pacific Coast League in putouts with 346, assists with 520 and fielding with .961. He also led in triples with 13 while batting at .288 clip and 88 RBIs.

After seven seasons in minors, O'Neil got his chance in the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1946. He was signed by Herb Pennock, the Phillies' general manager, as the result of his fine season at Portland when he led them to pennant of the PCL.

That was the year after World War II and there were 100 players in spring training where O'Neil made the team.

He batted at a.266 clip in his only year in the majors with 25 hits in 94 at-bats with nine RBIs in 46 games.

In 1947 and 1948, he spent two seasons at Seattle of the PCL and in 1947 he was an all-star with the Rainiers. He batted .272 with 171 hits and 66 RBIs in 172 games.

John O'Neil

The next three years and part of a fourth year he spent time with Hollywood Stars, who were owned by several movie stars which included Bing Crosby and Gene Autry.

O'Neil continued to play in Hollywood and the fourth year spent most of 1952 in New Orleans. His minor league career in 1953 showed stops at Hollywood, San Francisco and Oakland of the PCL where he compiled a .249 average.

In 1954, he was back with the Jamestown Falcons and overall played in 1,804 minor league games and batted in the neighborhood of .260.

O'Neil earned a degree from the University of Kentucky in 1955 and in 1956 he became the general manager of Valdosta (Georgia) Tigers.

For the next few seasons he was a general manager with Montgomery, Alabama, and was a scout for the Milwaukee Braves.

He then assumed the role of general manager of the Jamestown Falcons in 1961 and in 1963 he was among four people to manage the Falcons.

Over the next 20 years, O'Neil was a major league scout for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. Also, he served in the same capacity with Los Angeles Dodgers from 1974 through 1984.

One of the players he scouted and signed was Mike Scioscia, who was a catcher for the Dodgers and is now the manager of the Anaheim Angels.

Two of O'Neil's scouting success stories were Bill Robinson and Mike Scioscia.

He signed the outfielder Bill Robinson, who played for the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

O'Neill was honored by the Chautauqua Hall of Fame at Diethrick Park in the summer of 2011 with a white Falcons uniform top with No. 1 on his back, similar to the uniform he wore back in the 1940s. It was the 70th anniversary of Diethrick Park, then called Municipal Stadium, and O'Neil, lone survivor of the 1941 Jamestown team, was honored by throwing out the first pitch.

John O'Neil was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He died in 2012.

Les Beck

Les Beck

Les Beck has lived most of his life in Jamestown except for the time spent in the military in the 1940s. He was a lineman and a three-year letterman at Jamestown High School. In his senior season of 1931, he played on a powerful 8-1 team that only lost to Erie East, 58-7, in a charity milk fund game. That Jamestown team scored 317 points in being one of the highest-scoring teams in Red Raiders' history.

Beck also completed two years in track and was a member of the J Club and also a member of the National Athletic Scholarship Society. His football career saw him play for the Crescents in the City League besides being an All-Jamestown choice in the New York Penn league. He was captain of the Aerials football team for two years. Later while in the service, Beck was a captain in Japan of the 11th Airborne Angels, who won the Pacific Olympics in 1945 and 1946.

Beck attended officers training school at Fort Benning, Georgia and graduated as a second lieutenant in 1944. While there, he taught in the Paratrooper School and was chosen as the model for a huge mural showing the work of airborne battlers and posed at the University of Georgia for Army public relations.

Baseball-wise, Beck performed in American Legion play through the City AA Leagues. In softball, he played in the Journal Night League at Celoron and the Turner Athletic Club.

He helped get the poles arranged so night softball could be played at Roseland Park. Also, he organized the softball programs for the Fraternal and Industrial Leagues in the late 1940s.

Les Beck, 1931

Beck organized the Chautauqua Lake Archers and was the first president of an archery club in Jamestown. He set up the indoor range at the YMCA and gave demonstrations at the YMCA camp and Falconer Park.

For the Roller Skating Rink Operators Association, he was the floor manager and instructor.

Les Beck with Dick Barton, 2003 CSHoF inductee, at a
picnic in 2009

When not taking part in all those sports activities, Beck spent 26 years in the Jamestown Fire Department with eight years as an assistant fire chief. He retired in 1977.

Beck remained very active in sports. As of his induction at age 85 he tended the down markers and chains at the Jamestown junior varsity and freshman football games. In addition, he attended practices and other functions of the sports boosters. Golf is a sport he also continued to enjoy, playing in the Senior League at South Hills Country Club and averaging around 98. Using a three-fingered bowling ball, he averaged around 150 in the Morton League and remained an active member in the Morton Club of the Jamestown Fire Department at the time of his induction.

Les Beck was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. He died in 2012.

Join the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame

Member Benefits

• CSHOF window decal
• $5 off the 2012 induction banquet ticket
• monthly newsletter
• membership card with discounts at selected sports-minded marketing partners

The Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce that a membership program is now available to persons who are interested in preserving the history of sports in Chautauqua County and honoring the outstanding individuals who have created our cherished sports memories.

The CSHOF maintains a hall located at 15 W. Third Street in Jamestown staffed by volunteers that contains our Hall of Honor and displays of sports memorabilia.

Our program also includes an induction banquet. Held each February to induct a new group of honorees into the Hall of Fame, the banquet provides an opportunity to recognize the special accomplishments of outstanding local high school and collegiate athletes.

In addition to helping the CSHOF carry out its twin missions of maintaining a hall of fame and a sports exhibit hall, members will receive several value-added benefits for their membership fee.

One year memberships are only $25 for individuals and $100 for businesses. Business members will receive 4 discount cards and plus an acknowledgement at the CSHOF hall and website.

Please join us by purchasing a 2011-2012 membership in the only organization solely dedicated to preserving and honoring the wonderful history of athletics in Chautauqua County.

CSHOF Membership Card Marketing Partners

• Jock Shop • 10 Harrison Street • Jamestown
  • 10% off regular items, excludes team sales, service & sale items
• Jamestown Jammers • Diethrick Stadium • Jamestown
  • $1 off game ticket excluding Dollar Night
  • 10% off retail price in Jammers gift shop
• Jamestown Savings Bank Arena • 319 West Third Street • Jamestown
  • Buy one public skate, get second free
• Gametime Sports Bar and Grille • 850 Foote Avenue • Jamestown
  • 10% off food purchase
• Lakewood Golf Center • 4341 W. Fairmount Avenue • Lakewood
  • Buy one round of mini-golf, play second round free
• Pinehurst Golf Club • Route 20 • Westfield
  • Buy 2 for the price of one green fees
• South Hills Country Club • Busti-Stillwater Road • Jamestown
  • $5 off 18-hole golf services on Fridays
• Hometown Grille • 718 West Third Street • Jamestown
  • 10% off your order, excluding specials
• Honest John's • 1245 East Second Street • Jamestown
  • 10% off regular prices
• Wing City Grill • 10450 Route 60 • Fredonia
  Wing City Grill • 273 East Fairmount Avenue • Lakewood
  • 10% off food purchase