He is now 84 years old and in great form. Poetic verse was a significant part of the craft at the time, and Rices poem Alumnus Football, written for a Vanderbilt alumni gathering and printed in The Tennessean in 1908, included a line that has been shortened and repeated by a billion adults to a billion young athletes: For 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.. var node = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; I live in Boston and recently acquired this poem via a 1920s framed Buzzo Motto. Joe Rexrode is a senior staff writer for The Athletic covering all things Nashville and some things outside Nashville. This exact version was framed and hung on the wall in my parents bedroom. for(var i=0; i This poem hung over the entrance to our elementary schools gym. He actually took a $20-a-week pay cut to take a job with the New York Evening Mail in 1910. setDisplayBids: function() {}, "//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"; Rice accepted the blame for putting "that much temptation" in his friend's way. They are best filled with a balanced account, rather than the flowery acclaim he favored. var url; It has become something of a 12-year discussion now! It was Br Thomas OConnell (not ODonnell) who mentioned the prayer in his memories. The paper behind appears to be in pristine condition. Even as he rests in peace, Brother Eamonn Chato ODonnell is still triggering discussions about the great scorekeeper. And then to find this site and to read about the origin of the linesimply remarkable. [CDATA[ That determines for you what degree of success Yes the poem lives on. It was the bees knees. But one day, when across the Field of Fame the goal seemed dim, //]]> My father who was a writer at the Nashville Banner also told me about what a great writer Grantland Rice was. // } Until at last above the din you hear this sentence spilled: [12] Rice then made monthly contributions to the man's widow throughout his life.[13]. Wow Steve this is truly intriguing. I am delighted with your information. FYI I just posted a link to a video of an American basketball player Chris Herren, ex pro and recovering addict, and one who sees what sport is all about fun. Who is the author? Just a FYI. Perhaps you might email me the photo and Ill then post it for you. The difference between the two is that, while Russell also had a national presence, he stayed in Nashville for his entire career, serving as sports editor for The Banner from 1930 until the paper closed in 1998. Russell was there to chronicle the three gold medals Wilma Rudolph won at the 1960 Games in Rome, a massive moment for black women in American sports. I am just now reading your comment. Im curious about the possible Irish origin. You can download this as a poster by clicking on it or print it out and post it onto a notice board, or a dressing room. The massive Guard named Failure did a toddle on his spine. Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 - July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. Gwen thank you so much for this information. Have enjoyed the thread! With very best wishes ~ Paul. Christmas 1927" With the Grantland Rice name in this thread, I thought I would throw this curveball (hahahahaha )Lee Mero married Kathryn Rice in 1920!!! Wonderful stuff. TO WIN OR LOOSE , AND BE THE SAME. Pass it on. Pass it on and see if anyone else has a clear view on it. That he could make his distance through a ten-foot granite wall. In 1914 he began his Sportlight column in the New York Tribune. Coincidentally, I spoke in Notre Dame and we now have a great alliance. } url = "https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/mobile/phone_hd_images-2b89833762f600506d44865a33582d11.css"; Peggy this is fantastic. ~ Paul. He called boxer Joe Louis a valued friend and chronicled the exploits of Jesse Owens and Babe Didrikson in the same florid, hero-making style that he employed to chronicle the exploits of Ruth, Cobb and Knute Rockne. This discussion has been going on since 2008 and Ive never heard this angle. [CDATA[ Regardless of who wrote it they are powerful words and an acid test as to whether a coach or a player really believes in sportsmanship will they post the poster up? Though Rice's ode to sportsmanship is over 100 years old, it's still relevant today (maybe even more so) as stories of bad behavior by people who . This puts it in the late 1910-20s at the latest. return false; it is very old, and hung on my grandmothers wall when my father was a child. The name Newbolt is below the poem and the illustrator is at bottom left by Alan Tabor of Manchester. There we learned the English language, Religion, and all the other signatures. var googletag = googletag || {}; Regardless, the poem insopires readers and other writers, to adapt and develop their own. "ebfg_email", "ebfg_sms"]; Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Rice was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the son of Bolling Hendon Rice, a cotton dealer,[1] and Mary Beulah (Grantland) Rice. Thanks Robert. By The Way, If you enter the word : POEM into the search engine in the top right hand corner (with the magnifying glass icon), you will find 3 different posts/articles about For when the one great scorer poem, and, more interestingly, you will find some even more intriguing comments suggesting the source of this poem. Today's Poem ~ The Game. And more than all, when you are thrown or tumbled with a crack, }); Thought the world my walk across your spine Grantland Rice, Alumunus Football, Only the Brave and Other Poems (1941) seems to be credited a lot however, my old graphic letters version says Newbolt (would this be Cardinal Newbolt)? [15][16] The Grantland Rice Bowl, an annual college football bowl game held from 1964 to 1977, was named in his honor, as was the Grantland Rice Award given to the winner. var ue_t0=window.ue_t0||+new Date(); At least he didnt go word for word. The world is but a cherry tree thats waiting to be picked; That standard rejects those who declared war on the United States and, as Meacham pointed out, its not like the monuments are historical treasures from before the Civil War broke out. }); An ignorant man follows public opinion." Grantland Rice tags: decision , decision-making , decisions 5 likes Like "The flame of the inn is dim tonight, Too many vacant chairs. In the book Juiced, Jose says "Steroids used correctly, will not only make you stronger and sexier, they will also make you healthier. It wont be whether we won or lost, Meanwhile, another helpful reader, Mr. Robert Kelley kindly added this comment: May I enter the discussion on who wrote those final lines of Rices epic poem. // page settings Thanks. if you get a moment perhaps you might send a photo or scan the poem (both sides ie including the To my sister Ann. and Ill add it to the blog post in due course. Tell a coach or teacher. What is the pinterest image the link didnt work. Perhaps, if you get a moment, you might print the small poster of the verse which you will find here https://greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/spread-the-moments/ and perhaps send it to the remaining brothers in the school with my best wishes. if (isRetina) { It also has some inpirational writing on the back. You can see the full poem below your comment now also. Your grandfather Mr. Brugh, roomed with Grantland Rice. That when the Master Referee I have the actual poem. (function () { the bugle rolled the reveille. I have also got some feedback from Linkedin Sports discussion which I wil try and dig out and post here soon. My research suggests the plaque was produced by Shapleigh between 1897 to 1908. This is intriguing. It believe in this instance it means flat referring to his flat face. Best wishes, Paul. He and his writing are among the reasons that the 1920s in the United States are sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age of Sports". If you publish my comment, please publish this note too. After taking early jobs with the Atlanta Journal and the Cleveland News, he later became a sportswriter for the Nashville Tennessean. Certain steroids, used properly, can cure certain diseases." (Canseco 3). Taylor Spink Award posthumously in 1966 from the Baseball Writers Association of America for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. In the great game of Life its the purpose to win, Thanks again Peggy Reynolds Dudley some fine Irish heritage there, methinks! To write against your name, He marks-not that you won or lost-. Steroids seems to be what he really . Excuse me: house in Colgate, Oklahoma when Dad was growing up. Sweet are the dreams of college life, before our faith is nicked- Russells career includes one of the things Carolyn said makes the family most proud, his friendship with the late Ed Temple, who coached Tennessee State University track for 44 years and served twice as U.S. Olympic womens track coach, in 1960 and 1964. }()); On waking up, hed ask, Who drove that truck across my face?. (Cardenal Newman) He must have been hard as nails, a fantastic player as well as as a gentle and kind father to read you, or quote you this beautiful verse. 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To write against your name, if (sourcesToHideBuyFeatures[i] == source) Keep Coming Back On the ship back home from Europe in November of 1918, an outbreak of flu exploded and Rice wrote in his 1954 memoir The Tumult and the Shouting, published posthumously that he was watching those men and boys dying like flies. It was part of a flu pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. I wonder if there is some connection there. Bushs biography in 2015. var useSSL = "https:" == document.location.protocol; Given the same chance, he has the white man lashed to the post., For context, another famous writer of the time, Paul Gallico, once wrote Louis was a magnificent animal (who) enters the arena with his keepers, and they soothe and fondle him and stroke him and whisper to him and then unleash him., Gallico also wrote of Didrikson, one of the greatest athletes of all time and the subject of earnest coverage from Rice, that she was motivated to outperform other women simply because she would not or could not compete with women at their own best game man snatching.. Poems by Thayer, Rice and Walt Mason. I wish you well and thank you for your comment. the dusk has come, the hour is late. Through Rice's eyes we behold such sports as bicycle racing, boxing, golf, baseball, football, and tennis as they were played before 1950. init: function() { googletag.pubads().setTargeting("resource", "author_9741"); Dont sit there whining-hustle up and keep on coming back; Keep coming back with all youve got, without an alibi, Is the fact that you stood the test. I wonder if the Buzza company did the graphics on this lovely verse? So were the policemen and the shopkeepers and the farmers and the factory owners. The back says To my sister, Ann, with love., Florence. Through Rice's eyes we behold such sports as bicycle racing, boxing, golf, baseball, football, and tennis as they were played before 1950. This is very interesting. Across the field of play the dusk has come, the hour is late. After the 1960 Olympics, Carolyn said, her father told then-Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington that TSUs beat-up track and lack of athletic scholarships needed to be fixed. a[a9]._Q.push([c, r]) And thats where Grantland Rice, in todays terms, gets complicated. But we can play so that our name, How did you find this? I know nothing of the origin of this poem. Thx again for your powerful words: The poem lives on. This passage, although famous, is far from atypical, as Rice's writing tended to be of an "inspirational" or "heroic" style, raising games to the level of ancient combat and their heroes to the status of demigods. It inspired me to play every game the way they were meant to be played honorably, respectfully, and with intensity. Click on the title: Paris the perfect setting for reunion of Invincible Lions, One South African journalist wrote: South Africa owes a manifold debt to the British Isles rugby touring team. "Events.SushiEndpoint": "https://unagi.amazon.com/1/events/com.amazon.csm.csa.prod", Please do keep sending us comments on any of our stories. When the Great Chambermaid comes [3], Rice attended Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he was a member of the football team for three years, a shortstop on the baseball team, a brother in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and graduated with a BA degree in 1901 in classics. B. Downie. For when the one great scorer comes Jim McCarthy, captained Munster and Ireland and played with the Lions. } googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true); }); Everyone loved him. If the glorification standard of Meacham a current Vanderbilt voice can be applied to one from long ago, Grantland Rice deserves his place in the pages of history. Sherry that is fascinating. There is another story here. Please send me a photo of the plaque. Rice was a great sportswriter who coined the phrase The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame and is also credited with the name The Crimson Tide for the University of Alabama football team. Its hard to imagine anyone in this racket more universally beloved, too. But how you played the game. Hard to say. "Events.Namespace": "csa", Interesting that the name Rice comes up in two contexts Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers, and Grantland Rice the sportswriter. var e = document.createElement("script"); e.src = "https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41mrkPcyPwL.js"; document.head.appendChild(e); The illustrating department created superb designs which were reverent to the poetry, and Buzza printed on quality paper using quality inks. What of their spirit, individual acts of supreme courage and bravery? Thanks Geoff. And there had been a standing bet, which no one tried to call, Keep coming back Rices 1924 account of Notre Dames win over Army in New York starts with the most famous paragraph in sports, before or since. Whereat he aimed a forward pass, but in two vicious bounds } Give Vanderbilt University a nod, along with Chattanooga and the words of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, for clarity on the intensified assault on Confederate glorification. Regards, Paul. Ive just sat and indulged every word and line. When husky William took the ball beneath his brawny arm On his return from the war, Rice discovered that his friend had lost all the money in bad investments, and then had committed suicide. If you get a moment Wendy perhaps you might send / attach a photo or copy of your version. I didnt realise it was an actual quote and not just a line made up by a brilliant scriptwriter. Many thanks Ann. googletag.cmd.push(function() { Also feel free to use the poster it may inspire others! I know these words well from my father, who himself was a great sportsman. Who wrote these words? interestingly this source says: George Buzza, founder of The Buzza Co., published greeting cards, calendar posters and other fine paper products. "[7] Rice coached the 1908 Vanderbilt baseball team. Born in Murfreesboro on November 1, 1880, Rice was one of the foremost sports authorities and respected voices during his heyday as New York's "Herald Tribune" columnist. It was not his first golf event, but it was the one that seemed to pull him toward the game.[8]. In fact I wrote it down because I was so impressed by it. In 1908, legendary sports journalist Grantland Rice wrote, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." His poem compared sports to lifeenjoy the competition, try your best, and focus more on effort than the outcome. First, Vanderbilt; second, Sewanee, a mighty good second;" and that Aubrey Lanier "came near winning the Vanderbilt game by his brilliant dashes after receiving punts.