O'Neal M. Hobbs

Year Inducted: 1974
Nominated By: Sam Jones
Sports Competed In: Baseball
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Contributor

Achievements:
Athletics: 
● Played catcher for the Chicago Cubs baseball team offered him a contract to play in Macomb, Il.
● Had an off-season accident - two fingers on his throwing hand cut off in the Press Room and that eliminated his Professional playing career.

Coaching Career:
● Baseball manager for the Taub Brothers Semi-Pro Team (1922).
● Coached Pueblo’s Entry into the Southern Colorado League in 1923 and assembled and managed numerous local teams until 1928.
● Coached the Pueblo Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers Farm Team) which moved to Pueblo for 10 years (1947-57) and competed in the Class A Minor League (Western League) that included teams from Denver (Bears), Des Moines (Bruins), Lincoln (Athletics), Omaha (Cardinals) and Sioux City (Soos).

Professional Affiliations:
President of the Western League for two years (1955-57) until the league folded in 1957.

Honors:
● Known in Pueblo as "Mr. Baseball".
● The Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper organized a high school baseball tournament in 1993 in his memory.

Occupations:
Pressman for The Pueblo Chieftain and Star Journal Newspaper

Personal:
Lived in Pueblo with his second wife, Vera C... Passed away October 7, 1987.