An avid sports historian, Dr. Neft began writing in the late 1960s and has since co-authored more than 20 books.
NEW YORK, NY, September 24, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present David S. Neft, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Neft celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Neft is a retired statistician and marketing executive who concluded his illustrious career as the vice president of research for the Gannett Company Inc. in 2002. Highly acclaimed for his expertise, he was an employee of the organization for 17 years. A well-known American mass media corporation, Gannett is currently recognized as the largest U.S. newspaper publisher. Hired in 1985 as the director of research, Dr. Neft later moved into the role of the vice president in 1990. Despite retiring nearly 20 years ago, he continued conducting sports research and documentation for several years. Today, he continues to lend his expertise as a special project consultant for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Coming of age in the Bronx, NY, Dr. Neft lived within walking distance of two major league baseball stadiums. Falling in love with the sport, he also developed a knack for numbers. He quickly found success is his chosen field, earning his first position with Louis Harris & Associates in 1963 as their chief statistician. He worked with Lou Harris to develop Vote Profile Analysis, a system of using precinct models to "call" and analyze elections, which was first used by CBS in 1964. Dr. Neft subsequently spent several years as the director of information publishing for Information Concepts between 1965 and 1971.
Named as the general manager of Sports Illustrated Enterprises shortly thereafter, Dr. Neft was responsible for designing a series of board games that were sold as the SI-Avalon Hill Sports Games. After three years, he formed Sports Products, Inc. in Connecticut and served as its president before ultimately returning to Louis Harris & Associates, where he served the organization as its senior vice president from 1977 to 1978 and as the executive vice president until 1985. Louis Harris & Associates was notably a leading internet-based market research company led by Connecticut born Louis Harris, which later became known as Harris Interactive Inc.
An avid sports historian, Dr. Neft began writing in the late 1960s and has since co-authored more than 20 books. One of his greatest achievements was being in charge of the 1969 "The Baseball Encyclopedia," which became known as "Big Mac." It was the first book published in the U.S. to be typeset electronically and the first book to combine both sports research and computer data files. Other books to Dr. Neft's credit have included annual editions of "The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball," "The Sports Encyclopedia; Pro Football" and "Total Football."
Dr. Neft has been actively engaged with various professional organizations relevant to his field. He is presently aligned as a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association and the Society for American Baseball Research.
An alumnus of Columbia University, Dr. Neft earned a Bachelor of Science in 1957, a Master of Business Administration in 1959, and a Doctor of Philosophy in statistics in 1962. He also served for two years in the U.S. Army, beginning in 1961. Dr. Neft was recognized for his work as a sports historian with a Henry Chadwick Award from the Society for American Baseball Research.
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