Leonard Davids (March 19, 1926February 10, 2002), known as Bob Davids or L. Robert Davids, was an American baseball researcher and writer and the founder of SABR, the

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

. He wrote numerous freelance articles on baseball for ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' between 1951 and 1965. When ''TSN'' cut its baseball coverage, Davids began his own short-lived baseball publication, ''Baseball Briefs''. He contributed baseball fact boxes to several newspapers, including ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

''. In 1971, Davids identified approximately 35 others with similar interests in baseball statistics and history – he called them "stathistorians" – and invited them to meet in Cooperstown, New York at the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

. Sixteen attended the meeting, and agreed to the formation of SABR. Davids was elected the group's first president, an office he held on two other occasions. He also served two 5-year terms on SABR's board of directors, and was actively involved in producing many of the organization's early publications. Davids was also active in SABR's first regional chapter, based in Baltimore and Washington, which was named in his honor.

Personal

Born in

Kanawha, Iowa Kanawha is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, United States. The population was 658 at the time of the 2020 census. History Kanawha was platted in 1899. The newly constructed railroad had arrived from Belmond, Iowa. Business' and some buildings m ...

, Davids moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

where he worked in an aircraft factory. He later enlisted in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

and served two years, including a tour as a

B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

nose gunner A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes thr ...

in the Pacific. After leaving the military, he attended the University of Missouri where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters in History. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

International relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

. In 1951 Davids began a 30-year career in federal service, mainly working the field of public information for agencies including the Departments of

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

, the Atomic Energy Commission, and several members of Congress. During that period, he also contributed numerous articles on Congressional history to ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

'', a newspaper covering

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. Davids was married to the former Yvonne Revier, and had one daughter. He died as the result of cancer at age 75 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

SABR Bob Davids Chapter: Mid-Atlantic Region
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davids, Bob 1926 births 2002 deaths People from Hancock County, Iowa United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II University of Missouri alumni Georgetown University alumni American sportswriters Baseball writers Deaths from bladder cancer Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Iowa