Your poem is beautiful and still inspires you, I suspect. He preached this the whole time we were at campToo bad most professional athletes dont have a clue what it means,,, This verse was at the head of a Red Smith sports column in the New York TIMES in the 1960s-70s era when the lowly NY Giants ALMOST upset the mighty Baltimore Colts with Johnny Unitas, The Colts were a twenty-point favorite with the odds-makers, but the final score came up something like 22 to 19 Colts, so Red Smith was praising the Giants. Ive just sat and indulged every word and line. setDisplayBids: function() {}, The full poem is here: Russell, 73, of Nashville, is one of four living daughters of the late Fred Russell, the second-most-famous sportswriter in Nashville history. .__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.__prevent_empty_css_file{width:0}.authorModuleDropdownMenu{width:180px;border-left:1px solid #D8D8D8;border-right:1px solid #D8D8D8;border-top:1px solid #D8D8D8}.authorModuleDropdownMenu__dropdownLink,.authorModuleDropdownMenu__dropdownLink:hover{display:block;text-align:left;padding:12px;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", "Helvetica", sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#000000;cursor:pointer}#authorInfo{display:-webkit-box;display:-moz-box;display:-ms-box;display:box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-moz-flex;display:-ms-flex;display:flex;padding:10px 10px 5px 10px}#authorInfo .authorInfoGroup{-webkit-box-flex:1;-moz-box-flex:1;-ms-box-flex:1;box-flex:1}#authorInfo .authorPhotoGroup{-webkit-box-flex:0;-moz-box-flex:0;-ms-box-flex:0;box-flex:0;margin-right:10px}#authorInfo .authorFollow{display:flex}#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer{border-radius:3px;border:1px solid #D6D0C4;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", "Helvetica", sans-serif;font-size:14px;-moz-appearance:none;-o-appearance:none;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;cursor:pointer;display:inline-block;text-decoration:none;color:#333333;background-color:#F4F1EA;line-height:1;padding:8px 12px;font-size:16px;padding:12px 24px;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;margin-left:0px;padding:0px;min-width:38px;height:32px;background-image:url(/assets/down-caret.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center;float:right}#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer:disabled{border-color:#DDDDDD}#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer:hover{color:#333333;background-color:#ede6d6;text-decoration:none}#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer:active{background-color:#D6D0C4}#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer:disabled{background-color:#F3F3F3;color:#cccccc}@media (max-width: 540px){#authorInfo .authorFollow .authorDropdownContainer{min-width:20px;width:27px}}#authorBooks{*zoom:1}#authorBooks:after{content:"";display:table;clear:both}#authorBooks .sectionTitle{border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;padding:10px 10px 0 10px;margin:0}.accordionContent{padding:0 10px}.authorBio{padding:0 10px;margin-bottom:10px}.authorBooksMeta{color:#999999;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;padding:0 10px}.authorBooksMeta a{color:#00635D}.authorBooksTotalReviewCount:before,.authorBooksTotalRatingCount:before{content:"\00b7"}.authorDetailsList dt,.authorDetailsList dd{display:inline;margin:0}.authorDetailsList dd:after{content:'\A';white-space:pre}.authorDetailsList dt{font-weight:bold}.authorDetailsList dd{color:#999999;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;margin-bottom:15px}.authorDetailsList dd a{color:#00635D}.authorSimilarAuthorsLink{padding:0 10px}.authorDistinctWorksLink{padding:0 10px;display:block;margin-bottom:10px}.authorFansLink{font-weight:bold}.authorInterviewsList{list-style-type:none;margin:0;padding:0}.authorInterviewsList .authorInterview{margin-bottom:15px}.authorInterviewsList .authorInterviewAt{color:#999999;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif}.authorInterviewsList .authorInterviewAt a{color:#00635D}.authorInterviewsList .authorInterviewTitle{display:block}.authorName{margin-bottom:10px}.authorShortBio{color:#999999;font-family:"Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif}.authorShortBio a{color:#00635D}.authorQuotesLink{margin-bottom:15px}.quotesList{border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;margin-top:15px}.quotesPage{margin-left:10px}.noQuotes{margin-top:15px} Grantland Rice: It's Not Whether You Win or Lose - Homeschool Express From goal to goal he whizzed along while fragments, strewed the plain, Whereat he aimed a forward pass, but in two vicious bounds Rice, Grantland | Encyclopedia.com q("f", arguments) Hi Dean, this sounds amazing. He writes - not that you won or lost - But HOW you played the Game. Paul, There is a boys camp in Goshen Pass, Va called Camp Virginia. Tell a coach or teacher. Grantland Rice on tel/mic, c. 1920. He won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his biography American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, wrote a celebrated biography of Thomas Jefferson and was chosen by the Bush family to write George H.W. Here is a poem given to Dutch Tennis Star Tom Okker by his mother on his first trip to Australia in 1964. whatever the game and whatever the odds My research suggests the plaque was produced by Shapleigh between 1897 to 1908. Im curious about the possible Irish origin. He also wrote in The Tumult and the Shouting that Bedford Forrest was one of the great cavalry men, and a hero to his grandfather, who fought for the Confederacy. _Q: [] The back says To my sister, Ann, with love., Florence. Thanks again. Paul, Amazing Robert. How he played the game: Assessing the complicated legacy of Grantland Rice It has actually generated several streams of thought as I opened it up in a few different blog posts. This is the challenge of judging a revered figure from a century ago in todays terms. - T H E 6 T H F L O O R, http://www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/not-that-you-won-or-lost-but/, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/487092515924974343/, Smiling Helps You Win In Sport and in Life | Great Moments Of Sportsmanship, http://www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/smiling-helps-you-win-in-sport-and-in-life/, https://greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/not-that-you-won-or-lost-but/, https://greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/not-that-you-won-or-lost-but-how-you-played-the-game/, https://greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/spread-the-moments/. In this famous College, when I was a very little child, I learned this very short poem, just as I wrote it here. Like his mentor, Russell was a Vanderbilt baseball player and graduate. init: function() { Let young and old read Read more Not That You Won or Lost but I hope the school enjoy the verse and are also inspired by the many sportsmanship stories. 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. 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. The: Christian Brothers of Ireland is a well-known congregation (founded by Cardinal Newman) that arrived in Uruguay near the year of 1950 with the purpose of starting an educational center. You can see the full poem below your comment now also. Marty very well said. Easily done, I suppose, but on a wall plaque!? He became interested in the sport in 1909 while covering the Southern Amateur at the Nashville Golf Club. Wow Steve this is truly intriguing. "//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"; In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. Richard have you got a date that Downies verse was published? document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(stylesheet); Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880 July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. But did you beat the spread? Source: "Grantland Rice Award Established in Football", 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, "Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Foot Ball", "Crowning the King: Grantland Rice and Bobby Jones", "Cadets Prove No Match for Speedy Backs: Miller, Layden, Crowley, and Stuhldreher Form Greatest Backfield", "Grantland Rice National Championship Trophy", http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Admissions/Archive02262007/07RussellRice.pdf, "Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame/ Inductees", All-Star Roster of Writers and Editors to Join New ESPN Web Site, "ESPN Statement Regarding Grantland - ESPN MediaZone U.S.", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grantland_Rice&oldid=1135518744, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 04:08. Joe Rexrode is a senior staff writer for The Athletic covering all things Nashville and some things outside Nashville. Grantland Rice was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the son of Bolling Hendon Rice, a cotton dealer, and his wife, Mary . That determines for you what degree of success http://www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/spread-the-moments/ Rice was spared and returned to the end of a college football season that had been pieced together through the pandemic a century-old preview of what the 2020 season might look like and to a view like no one else had of historic moments in sports and society. Smith attributed the verse to Grantland Rice. We might as well let this bird through before we all get killed.. TO PLAY THE GAME. Game Called by Henry Grantland Rice - Famous poems, famous poets. (The principal sport promoted was Rugby). Did he plagiarize or was the idea his own. They wept to think bull-throated Bill would sock the line no more. It is powerful, isnt it? Coincidentally, the verse hung on my parents bedroom wall in Dublin, Ireland many moons ago, was, coincidentally was both held together and framed, using black masking tape (as were all the family photos on the walls in our home!). As such, it can be served by no apologies or defenses, Fountain wrote, and deserves damnation less than it deserves understanding.. stylesheet.rel = "stylesheet"; The plot thickens. Also have a look in the comments and youll see another Lions player who used to quote this verse to his children a long long time ago. 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. I am delighted with your information. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. if (a[a9]) return; Not that You Won or Lost but How You Played The Game and taps has called the end of play. Is there a way I can post a picture of it? 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.. It wont be whether we won or lost, Enter your email address below and we will email you new posts: Portuguese Players Shake Englishmans Hand After He Scores, Silence was broken by a dog barking outside the packed stadium, Paris the perfect setting for reunion of Invincible Lions, Not That You Won or Lost but at Great Moments of Sportsmanship, http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/speccol/research/guides/bios.shtml, Not That You Won or Lost but Great Moments Of Sportsmanship, http://www.greatmomentsofsportsmanship.com/spread-the-moments/, Not That You Won or Lost but | Great Moments Of Sportsmanship, New Year Old Poem Great Sport | Great Moments Of Sportsmanship, Bush League or Little League? } Rice was a significant name in the burgeoning field of sportswriting when he returned to Nashville in 1907 to serve as the main attraction of a new paper, The Tennessean getting paid a hefty $70 a week. How far away the goal posts are that called us to the play. These are only aliases. throw new Error("could not load device-specific stylesheet : " + err.message); Whereas Robert, you suggest Jacob B. Downie (Irish name?) He got a one-on-one interview with Owens about his gold in the long jump and Hitlers decision to leave the premises rather than congratulate him. In 1914 he began his Sportlight column in the New York Tribune. Bill put on steam and dashed into the thickest of the pile; Meaner men are not capable of measuring him., Wonderful, Russell said of Rice. The directer was Mac Pitt,Baseball Coach and Athletic directer at University of Richmond. 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". But one day, when across the Field of Fame the goal seemed dim, This quote was on a huge poster on the wall of the mess building. But he took in a good spirit and was always known as Chato. All suggestions welcome. He lauds the Dodgers for breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier with Jackie Robinson. window.Mobvious.device_type = 'mobile'; Quote by Grantland Rice: "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how Since you alerted me about him liking this verse and sharing it with you, I have discovered your fathers name pops up in many books and talks about Munster, Ireland and the Lions. During Rices time with the Atlanta Journal, Ty Cobb actually sent him postcards, posing as fans who were gushing about Cobb and encouraging Rice to write about him. The Fullback Disappointment steered his features in sod. Uruguay wow! Rice was an advocate for the emerging game of golf in the United States. and will invite anyone to send more information. Grantland Rice - Great Moments Of Sportsmanship Rice published a book of poetry, "Songs of the Stalwart" published in 1917 which contained some of his famous poetic recollections of sports heroes, as well as non-sports related poetry. Just keep your eye upon the ball and plug on, yard by yard, That was a couple of years ago. Rices career was interrupted to serve in World War I at 37 years old. 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? Rugby Union, as introduced by the Irish Christian brothers to Stella Maris was and is an integral part of building character. In 1925 The Buzza Company published the above poem entitled Playing the Game by J. She asks not if you won or lost, Where he would buck to glory in the swirl of Lifes big game. The world is but an open road-until we find, one day, Ray Calabrese May 10, 2020 May 1, 2020 inspiration, love, poem. If you get a moment Wendy perhaps you might send / attach a photo or copy of your version. Thank you again Peggy warm wishes to you and yours from London and Dublin. }, He made significantly more money than virtually everyone he covered. The poem lives on. i once became a player of chess but i loose the game but i accept it because my father and teacher always say to me play the game fair and accept the result of the game and be sport, Hello. But you never can lose, and you never can fail According to an exerpt from http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu In 1907, Rice saw what he would call the greatest thrill he ever witnessed in his years of watching sports during the SewaneeVanderbilt football game: the catch by Vanderbilt center Stein Stone, on a double-pass play then thrown near the end zone by Bob Blake to set up the touchdown run by Honus Craig that beat Sewanee at the very end for the SIAA championship.