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July 30, 2007 - David Aaron Namm of Clearwater, Fla., has been selected as the
recipient of the 49th Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Sports Writing
Scholarship to Vanderbilt University for the incoming class of 2007.
The four-year, $40,000 scholarship is co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University
and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA), and is awarded to an
outstanding high school senior with special interest and potential in the
field of sports writing. The TRA represents 43 member racing associations
conducting Thoroughbred racing at 41 racetracks in North America.
Namm graduated in the top 10 percent of his senior class at Palm Harbor
University High School with an International Baccalaureate diploma. Namm
served as sports editor of the high school newspaper, The EYE, in his
junior year and graduated as its editor-in-chief. His excellent writing
skills earned him an award from the Florida Scholastic Press Association for
sports writing in 2006.
In addition to newspaper writing, Namm was a youth basketball coach in the
Tampa area. In 2005, he was selected among 40 highly-motivated high school
students to serve on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Student Advisory Board, which
was formed in 1999 to promote community service and foster future leadership
skills while working alongside the NFL team.
While in high school, Namm also participated in Palm Harbor High’s government
association, and was an active peer tutor and mentor. He plans to attend the
College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt before pursuing a career in
professional journalism.
The scholarship honors Vanderbilt alumni Grantland Rice and Fred Russell, two
of the greatest sports writers of all time. Initially, the scholarship was
created in 1956 to honor Grantland Rice, the dean of American sports writing,
who died in 1954. The scholarship received a funding endowment from Oaklawn
Jockey Club president Charles J. Cella on behalf of the TRA in 1986, and its
name was amended to include the late Fred Russell, the sports writing legend
for the Nashville Banner for nearly 70 years. Russell worked closely with the
TRA to establish the original scholarship program and served on the selection
committee since its inception through 2002.
Previous recipients include noted on-air personality for ESPN’s First Take
and 1st and 10, Skip Bayless; Roy Blount Jr., one of American’s best
known humorists and author of several books, including “About Three Bricks Shy
of a Load;” Charles Euchner, the author of numerous critically-acclaimed books
and articles on politics, urban policy, city planning, and sports; David
Sheinin, national baseball writer for the The Washington Post; and
Tyler Kepner, the New York Yankees beat writer for the The New York Times.
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