Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Sports Writing Scholarship

Max Schneider Awarded 2016 Russell-Rice TRA Scholarship

ELKTON, MD – Max Schneider will enter the freshman class at Vanderbilt University as the 2016 recipient of the 58th Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Scholarship for sports journalism, it was announced Wednesday by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA).

Schneider, who graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York, NY, was selected from a record 621 applicants for this year’s scholarship in the amount of $25,000 per year for four years at Vanderbilt.

Named in honor of two legendary sports writing alumni of Vanderbilt, the scholarship has an extraordinary record of producing prominent and successful writers and television personalities, including Roy Blount, Jr., Bill Livingston, Skip Bayless, John (Joe Bob Briggs) Bloom, David Sheinin, Tyler Kepner, Lee Jenkins, and Daniel Wolken.

Schneider played junior varsity and varsity baseball for the Stuyvesant Peglegs and received MVP recognition as a freshman, the Coach’s Award as a junior and was team captain as a senior. He also led the JV basketball team in scoring. He also served as an umpire for the Greenwich Village Little League and worked all divisions of the league.

He was the youngest intern selected to work during the summer of 2015 at The Players’ Tribune, a media platform founded by Derek Jeter where professional athletes write first-person narratives in order to provide insight into the realities of the sport world. Additionally, he was a sports writer for The Spectator, Stuyvesant’s award-winning newspaper.

During the summer of 2015, he participated in the Sports Entrepreneurship Program at the Kogod School of Business at American University and was a counselor and baseball specialist at Camp Weequahic in 2016.

He plans to major in communication studies at Vanderbilt and hopes to pursue a career in sports media/sports agency.

The scholarship winners, selected by a panel chaired by Oaklawn Park President Charles J. Cella, have distinguished themselves not just in sports writing and broadcasting, but in other fields as well.

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 Mr. Cella on behalf of the TRA in 1986, and its name was amended to include the late Fred Russell, the famed Nashville Banner sports columnist for 69 years and a mentor to many of the scholarship winners.

The four-year scholarship is co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University and the TRA and is awarded to an outstanding high school senior with special interest and potential in the field of sports writing. The TRA represents 44 member racing associations conducting Thoroughbred racing at 40 racetracks in North America.

Prior winners of the scholarship were:

 


 

 

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 Philippines
1975   David Brooks, Teaneck, N.J.
1976   Michael L. Jackson, Laconia, N.H.
1977   Edward O. Wilson, Greenwich, Conn.
1978   Charles Euchner, Huntington, NY
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, Alpharetta, Ga.
2003   Matthew McDavid, Bethesda, Md.
2004  Christopher Fielding, Atlanta, Ga.
2005  Not Awarded
2006  Not Awarded
2007  David Aaron Namm, Clearwater, Fla.
2008  Meghan Rose, Towson, Md.
2009  Eric Single, Marietta, Ga.
2010  Jack Kuhlenschmidt, Los Angeles, Calif. &
Jackson Martin, Atlanta, Ga.
2011  Matthew Citak, Riverdale, N.Y. &
Anthony Tripodoro, Mineola, N.Y
2012  Adam Birnbaum, Weston, Fla.
Nathaniel Heagney, St. Louis, Mo.
Ben Weinrib, Charlotte, N.C.
2013  Thomas McGrath, New Haven, Ct.
Caroline Meisel, McLean, Va.
2014  William Huesken, Cleveland, Ohio
2015  Cutler Klein, Chappaqua, New York