Grantland Rice

He was born in Tennessee in 1880. After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a double major in Greek and Latin, he took the work ethic learned from twelve hour days in the fields and applied it to his chosen career. The Tennessee farm boy not only became a top notch reporter, columnist, poet, and author, he’s also considered the first superstar sportscaster.

Grantland Rice, or “Granny” as he was widely known, was a pioneer in his field, elevating his profession by his own deeply held philosophy that sports and sportsmanship, at its best, could lift not only individuals but entire societies. While many journalists wrote pessimistic pieces, eager to debunk the heroes of the day, Mr. Rice developed a style of writing dubbed “gee whiz” journalism for his preference to gloss over the athletes’ personal problems while celebrating their individual physical gifts and the overall idea of sports as a noble activity. Mr. Rice’s own code of honor was well-known. Before leaving for service in World War I, he put a friend in charge of his entire fortune, some $75,000. When he returned and discovered his friend had lost the money in bad investments and subsequently committed suicide, Mr. Rice blamed himself for putting temptation in his friend’s way. For the next thirty years he made monthly contributions to the man’s widow.

At his death in 1954, Mr. Rice was still churning out his widely read column, “The Sportlight” for 88 newspapers. Offering sports news and commentary peppered with poetry and prose, the observations of Grantland Rice set a standard for sports journalism that will stand the test of time.

In today’s southern quote we look at one of his famous lines, a couplet that remains one of the most repeated sports quotes of all time. It was Grantland Rice who penned the words,

“When the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.” – Grantland Rice