African-American Sports Greats A Biographical Dictionary

Subjects:

• Popular Culture » Sports
• Multicultural Studies » Black Studies

Reviews:

• The one book you'll need on African American athletes.... With a listing of 166 athletes representing 11 sports, this work is the most comprehensive reference of African American athletes currently available. The preface clearly states the selection criteria, and each signed entry includes a bibliography. Recommended for medium to large reference collections.
  —Library Journal
• Porter, with the assistance of over forty sports historians, has assembled an impressive compendium of facts, statistics, and personal profiles of 166 male and female athletes, managers, and sports leagues administrators representing eleven teams and individual sports...In addition to noting records, medals, and other accolades, the editors have meticulously traced each subject's family and educational background.
  —Multicultural Review
• The first thing that came into my head after I reviewed this book was hip, hip, hooray!...This book includes information which may not be found in magazine articles or other sources. The book will not sit on the shelf or be used only by potential highschool super-stars. Students will want to have this book for their research papers and speeches. Every school and public library should have this one on their shelves.
  —VOYA
• Access couldn't be easier in this alphabeticaly arranged dictionary of 166 African American sports greats. Personalities were selected based on their accomplishments and contributions to their chosen sport... A useful addition.
  —School Library Journal
• ...the biographies in this new work are all written in a more popular style that will make it useful in school libraries. The convenience of having information on black athletes in all sports in one volume is enough to justify its purchase in public libraries, too.
  —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
• In addition to being a fine source of information on these talented individuals' lives and achievements, this has the distinction of being one of the few publications of 1995 that covers O.J. Simpson but focuses on his football career rather than his personal trials.
  —Rettig on Reference
• This biographical dictionary of black sports figures presents profiles of well over a hundred athletes, coaches, and administrators in a wide range of sports. Over forty historians contributed to biographies which are colorful and well detailed, making for an important library reference.
  —The Bookwatch
• Sampling one of the entries in this book is like trying to eat one potato chip. The reader will have an irrepressible urge to try another. Each entry is engaging and well written. Important names are in bold face, making it a snap to search for relevant research information...this book will be useful in junior and senior high school libraries. Highly recommended.
  —The Book Report
• Despite the plethora of recent books on African-American and black sports figures, this is the first all-sport collection of biographies that is exclusively devoted to the greatest African-American athletes. ... Porter's approach is fresh and satisfying. He insists on presenting a picture of the whole person. ... This biographical dictionary is a fine contribution to the literature. Any U.S. sports fan would enjoy it, and it is well suited for school, public, and some academic libraries. It is sturdily bound in an attractive cover and printed on permanent paper. Photographs and appendixes are provided.
  —ARBA

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• History of African Americans in Professional and Olympic Sports
• Biographies
• Appendix 1: Alphabetical Listing of Entries with Sport
• Appendix 2: Entries by Major Sport
• Index