Kemper, Kurt Edward. Before the Madness: The Wars For the Soul of College Basketball. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2020. Pp. xiii, 273. Notes, bibliography, index. Reviewed by Murry Nelson One is immediately impressed by the extraordinary research done for this Before the Madness: The Wars For the Soul of College Basketball. Kurt Edward Kemper…
Gryzbowski, David. Mr. All-Around: The Life of Tom Gola. Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 2019. Pp 181. Foreword by Bill Raftery, introduction, appendices. Reviewed by Murry Nelson Mr. All-Around: The Life of Tom Gola is a pleasant little book. However, David Gyrzbowski’s biography of Gola is more geared to general readership, especially those with Philadelphia interests,…
Stark, Douglas. When Basketball Was Jewish; Voices of those who played the game. Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 2017. Index. Pp. 330. $29.95 hardcover. $29.95 eBook. Reviewed by Murry Nelson I looked forward to reading this volume after enjoying Douglas Stark’s book on the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association’s basketball team, The SPHAS, which was…
Stark, Douglas. Breaking Barriers: A History of Integration in Professional Basketball. Lanham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. Notes, bibliography, index. Reviewed by Murry Nelson This is a book that sounds better than it really is and that was a disappointment since Stark is a good writer with a background of curation at the Naismith Basketball…
Pesca, Mike. Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History. New York. Twelve Books, 2018. Forward by Malcolm Gladwell, notes, index. $28.00 paperback. Reviewed by Murry Nelson Upon Further Review may be the most uneven book that I have seen recently, with chapters (each 6-15 pages) by a myriad of authors on some…
Endsley, Brian M. Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964-66. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Company, 2018. Appendix of Dodger and Koufax data, epilogue, notes, index. $35.00 paperback. Reviewed by Murry Nelson Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era is…
Ottaway, Amanda, The Rebounders: A Division I Basketball Journey, Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 2018. 288 pages, Epilogue, Notes, and Bibliography. $29.95 paperback. Reviewed by Murry Nelson Here is a volume that is very familiar, but uniquely that of the author. Amanda Ottaway played DI basketball on a full scholarship for Davidson College and…
Frei, Terry. March 1939: Before the Madness. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2016. Pp. 237 + Notes, Bibliography, Index, Appendices. $16.95 paperback. Reviewed by Murry Nelson Here was a book that I had very mixed feelings about. First, the topic was timely, focusing on the first NCAA Tournament, then called the National Association of Basketball Coaches…
Sport in American History 