Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1989-1992 Supplement for Baseball, Football, Basketball and Other Sports

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Description

This volume, the fifth in the "Biographical Dictionary of American Sports" provides biographical and bibliographical information on 618 distinguished American sports, including baseball, football, and basketball. Other entries treat individual sports, including track and field, golf, and tennis. Also included are entries covering horse racing, ice hockey, auto racing, boxing, figure skating, wrestling, swimming, cycling, cricket, speed skating, and volleyball. In addition to athletes, the book covers coaches, managers, officials, administrators, writers, and broadcasters who have played an active role in sports. Written by 85 sports historians, educators, and journalists, the entries provide full biographical data, career records, accomplishments, and honours, a discussion of the subject's achievements, and bibliographic information. In seven appendices, Porter provides extensive cross-referencing and listings covering the major sports halls of fame and sites of Olympic games. The volume may be an addition to the reference section of libraries with collections in sports, sports history, physical education, popular culture, or social history.

Reviews

"The four original volumes in this series covered baseball, football, outdoor sports, and basketball and other indoor sports [RBB Mr 15 89]. This new volume adds 618 biographies to more than 2,100 in those earlier volumes. The entries are arranged by sport, baseball through track and field, with a miscellaneous category that covers auto racers, skaters, swimmers and others. Over one-third of the entries are for baseball players. While this supplement does list some contemporary athletes like Charles Barkley and Bonnie Blair, it is not limited to people who attained prominence since the original volumes were published (indeed, many of the athletes listed are deceased) but appears to serve to cover athletes who were overlooked earlier. Appendixes include lists of athletes by a sport, women athletes by sport, and major halls of fame."-Reference Books Bulletin
Libraries ownining the earlier volumes will obviously wish to add this supplement; others seriously concider purchasing the entire set.-ARBA
More than 600 profiles of American sports personalities have been included in this volume. Early years and family life are covered as they relate to the individual's personal and athletic development. Career progression and accomplishments as well as later years of life are covered.-ARBA
Porter and Greenwood Press have made a yeoman contribution to sports scholarship with their biographical series. A remarkable synthesis of historical fact and contemporary analysis.-International Journal of the History of Sports
The four original volumes in this series covered baseball, football, outdoor sports, and basketball and other indoor sports [RBB Mr 15 89]. This new volume adds 618 biographies to more than 2,100 in those earlier volumes. The entries are arranged by sport, baseball through track and field, with a miscellaneous category that covers auto racers, skaters, swimmers and others. Over one-third of the entries are for baseball players. While this supplement does list some contemporary athletes like Charles Barkley and Bonnie Blair, it is not limited to people who attained prominence since the original volumes were published (indeed, many of the athletes listed are deceased) but appears to serve to cover athletes who were overlooked earlier. Appendixes include lists of athletes by a sport, women athletes by sport, and major halls of fame.-Reference Books Bulletin
What a reference! A thorough documentation of the accomplishments of all the entries. Many of the names are familiar, but many are not. I was most caught up in the names I knew nothing or little about. It gives credit to long forgotten people in sports.-The Sportsback File
"Libraries ownining the earlier volumes will obviously wish to add this supplement; others seriously concider purchasing the entire set."-ARBA
"More than 600 profiles of American sports personalities have been included in this volume. Early years and family life are covered as they relate to the individual's personal and athletic development. Career progression and accomplishments as well as later years of life are covered."-ARBA
"Porter and Greenwood Press have made a yeoman contribution to sports scholarship with their biographical series. A remarkable synthesis of historical fact and contemporary analysis."-International Journal of the History of Sports
"What a reference! A thorough documentation of the accomplishments of all the entries. Many of the names are familiar, but many are not. I was most caught up in the names I knew nothing or little about. It gives credit to long forgotten people in sports."-The Sportsback File

Author Bio

DAVID L. PORTER is Louis Tuttle Shangle Professor of History and Political Science at William Penn College. In addition to being the editor of the Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Baseball (Greenwood Press, 1987), Football (Greenwood, 1987), Outdoor Sports (Greenwood, 1988), and Indoor Sports (Greenwood, 1989), he is the author of The Seventy-Sixth Congress and World War II, 1929-1940 (1979) and Congress and the Waning of the New Deal (1980).