Dave Blevins is a full-time writer and author of several reference books, including Halls of Fame: An International Directory (2004), Television Networks (2006) and American Political Parties in the 21st Century (2006).
Blevins (Halls of Fame: An International Directory) provides short
biographies of those inducted into baseball’s, basketball’s,
football’s, hockey’s, and soccer’s halls of fame from the mid-1930s
to 2010. The entries are prefaced by a list of abbreviations of
various leagues, professional associations, and federations, and
alphabetized by last name or, in some cases, by team. Each entry
covers basic facts, including birth and death dates, teams that the
athlete played for, accolades, and sometimes career statistics. The
listings also indicate the national and any additional halls of
fame into which the athlete was inducted and provide a short
bibliography. Appendixes in the second volume include complete
inductee listings from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and
the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum, organized both
alphabetically and by year. The set is comprehensively indexed.
VERDICT Overall, this encyclopedia will be useful in libraries that
serve patrons with a special interest in sports or that are located
in a city with a sports team. It will also come in handy when
students or others are looking to profile an athlete but lack a
clear vision or starting point for their research. While not a
comprehensive study of each athlete or team, the encyclopedia is a
great statistical and factual reference offering basic information
that can kick-start further study.
*Library Journal*
This two-volume set contains more than 1,400 biographic entries on
the male and female inductees (as of 2010) into the National
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall
of Fame and Museum, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Hockey Hall of Fame,
and National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The short biographies mostly provide details of the inductees’
accomplishments, with a brief summation of their post-sports
careers. Relevant statistics are provided for most entries.
Appendixes to the work provide a complete inductee listing by year
as well as a history of each Hall of Fame and its selection
processes. The entries are strictly fact and statistics based,
without any analysis of how the athlete impacted his or her
sport....Entries on lesser-known figures, such as women’s
basketball pioneer Bertha Frank Teague, provide a glimpse into an
important piece of sports and gender history.
As it is, it is a handy—if costly—resource for the ultimate sports
fan to have on hand, something that could be quickly referred to if
you needed to look up where Scottie Pippen went to college
(University of Central Arkansas) or Rickey Henderson’s on-base
percentage in 1990 (.439).
*Booklist*
This two-volume reference work features biographical entries and
career statistics for some 1,400 enshrinees in what editor Blevins
refers to as the "five most popular halls of fame": the National
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of
Fame, and the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. Entries for
all members are included in one integrated alphabetical sequence,
rather than in separate chapters for each hall of fame, as one
might expect. The entries consist of brief biographical narratives
focusing on the sports careers of individuals and omitting most
information that is not directly part of the sports career. Joe
Namath's entry, for example, barely mentions his celebrity status
beyond the playing field. Seasonal and career statistics are
included for most, although the depth of statistical information
varies by sport, with hockey including junior and minor league
statistics but other sports including only major league statistics.
Appendixes group the inductees by hall of fame and year, providing
a quick reference for those looking for hall of fame members for
only one sport. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates
through professionals/practitioners; general readers.
*CHOICE*
The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia is a complete list of all
athletes and behind-the-scenes-personnel that have been inducted
into one of the major sports hall of fames: The Baseball Hall of
Fame, The Basketball Hall of Fame, The Soccer Hall of Fame, the
Football Hall of Fame, and the Hockey Hall of Fame. In all, it is a
biographical listing of nearly 1,500 of the greatest athletes to
play U.S. sports. The book is arranged in alphabetic order by last
name and each biography includes information on their contribution
to their sport, position(s) played, career statistics, and
biographical information....This work is unique in that it ties the
players in with their Hall of Fame contemporaries and includes
information on how they were selected for the honor and the Hall of
Fame selection process in general. Appendixes include lists of each
sport's Hall of Fame with an inductee list by year and in
alphabetic order.
*American Reference Books Annual*
If induction into a sports hall of fame is the pinnacle of athletic
success, than the athletes and teams included in The Sports Hall of
Fame Encyclopedia are the cre`me de la cre`me. Representing the
best of North American men and women that baseball, basketball,
football, soccer, or hockey have to offer, The Sports Hall of Fame
Encyclopedia, is a useful reference work that provides sports
related biographical information on every individual and team
inducted into the five major sports halls of fame.
*Reference Reviews*
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