Rice, Grantland (1880-1954)
Grantland Rice, arguably the best-known American sports writer ever, was also one of the most highly regarded personally and professionally. Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Rice attended Vanderbilt University and upon graduation began his journalism career with the Nashville News, moving to the Atlanta Constitution, then to the New York Mail and finally to the New York Tribune (later the Herald-Tribune). In 1930, his column, "The Sportlight," was nationally syndicated and strengthened Rice's position as the "Voice of Sports." What separated Rice's column from countless others was his writing style and the column's content: a combination of sport news, gossip, and commentary. Since the year of his death, the Football Writers Association of America has awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy to the team it considers the best in college football.
Further Reading:
Fountain, Charles. Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice. New York, Oxford University Press, 1993.
Inabinett, Mark. Grantland Rice and His Heroes: The Sportswriter as Mythmaker in the 1920s. Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 1994.
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