Home

About the TRA

TRA Job Bank

TRA-L Email List

Members

Eclipse Awards

Press Releases

Weekly Leaders

Conference

Directory

Contracts

Manual


Contact the TRA

Thoroughbred Racing Associations
420 Fair Hill Drive • Suite 1 Elkton, MD 21921-2573
Phone: 410-392-9200
Fax: 410-398-1366

 

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.


1956   Charles Nord, Nashville, Tenn.
1957   Thomas Templin, Lexington, Ky.
1958   Larry Daughtrey, Nashville, Tenn.
1959   Roy A. Blount, Mill River, Mass.
1960   Saxon K. Chapin, Atlanta, Ga.
1961   Thomas D.Quinn, South America
1962   Robert E. Theil, Millbrae, Calif.
1963   Richard S. Osborne, Sharon, Pa.
1964   Leonard Goldstein, Miami, Fla.
1965   Michael Kierman, Arlington, Va.
1966   William Livingston, Voorhees, N.J.
1967   Barry (Mackie) Morris, Columbia, Mo.
1968   Dennis P. McAuliffe
1969   David R. Rapp, Nashville, Tenn.
1970   Skip Bayless, Dallas, Tex.
1971   John I. Bloom, Dallas, Tex.
1972   Irving Muchnick, New York, N.Y.
1973   Kevin Cuneo, Erie, Pa.
1974   Kevin McDonald, Silang, Cavite Phillipines
1975   David Brooks, Teaneck, N.J.
1976   Michael L. Jackson, Laconia, N.H.
1977   Edward O. Wilson, Greenwich, Conn.
1979   Kenneth C. Ray, Boise, Idaho
1980   Zachary V. Wenger, Eagle River, Aka (81-82)
           Andrew Byer, Columbia Blauvelt, N.Y. (83-84)
1981  C. Richard Bush, Lenoir, N.C.
1982   Mike D. Cornwell, Carlsbad, N.M.
1983   Tena B. Robinson, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
1984   Thomas Wilson, Troy, Ohio (85-86)
           Chuck Manson, Florence, Ala. (87-88)
1985   Paul J. Richman, Hacienda Heights, Calif.
1986   Michael Holmes, Haverville, Mass.
1987   David Shenin, Carrollton, Ga.
1988   Andrew Maraniss, Austin, Tex.
1989   Mitchell Light, New Providence, N.J.
1990   Clay Hensley, Cleveland, Tenn.
1991   Matthew O'Keefe, Wilmington, Del.
1992   Andrew M. Derr, Braddock Heights, Md.
1993   Tyler Kepner, Gwynedd Valley, Pa.
1994   Allan Owen, Klein, Tex.
1995   Lee Jenkins, La Jolla, Cal.
1996   Not Awarded
1997   Daniel J. Wolken, Hot Springs, Ark.
1998   Samuel Heide, Birmingham, Ala.
1999   Jeffery D. Lowe, Dallas, Texas
2000   Matthew J. Meenan, McLean, Virginia
2001   Robert C. Murray III, Brentwood, Tenn.
2002   Byron P. Dubow, Alphretta, Ga.
2003   Matthew McDavid, Bethesda, Md.
2004  Christopher Fielding, Atlanta, Ga.
2005  Not Awarded
2006  Not Awarded