Schenectady's Best

About the Book

Pat Riley, Shirley Muldowney, Jeff Blatnick, and Barry Kramer all made athletic marks on the national and even international scene. They are all products of a small county in New York called Schenectady. But these names are merely the tip of the iceberg. In this tribute to one hundred of the best athletes/coaches to live in Schenectady, we meet men and women who have spanned the course of the century (the 20th century!). In SCHENECTADY’S BEST 100 Athletes in One Hundred Years you’ll go as far back as the World War I years when Frank Taberski and Carroll “Pinky” Gardner were becoming world champions in billiards and wrestling, respectively. You’ll finish with current NFL rookie sensation Andre Davis. The Schenectady sports story is still unfolding.

About the Author

Though not a native of the county of which he writes, Barry Mandell has lived and taught in this area for over thirty years. He is a recently retired elementary school teacher in Schenectady. He is a graduate of SUNY at Oneonta where he was sports editor of that school’s newspaper. He has written articles and stories for various magazines and newspapers. One story, “The Checker Tournament” appeared in Highlights Magazine for Children and was later included in that magazine’s anthology sports series. He was the writer and publisher of a bi-monthly subscription newsletter called The SportsBook File which reviewed recently published sports books. Currently he publishes a local newsletter called Cheers, which highlights the remarkable athletic achievements in Schenectady County. He lives in Schenectady with his wife Carol and daughter Laura-Lynn.