Adam Birnbaum, Nathaniel Heagney, and Ben Weinrib will enter the freshman class at Vanderbilt University as the 2012 co-recipients of the 54th Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Scholarship for sports writing, it was announced by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations.
Birnbaum, a graduate of Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla., Heagney, a graduate of St. Louis University High School in St. Louis, and Weinrib, a graduate of Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., were selected from a near record 179 applicants for this year’s scholarship in the amount of $20,000 per year for four years each at Vanderbilt.
Named in honor of legendary Vanderbilt sports writing alumni Russell and Rice, the scholarship has an record of producing prominent and successful writers and television personalities. Recipients include Chuck Manson (in 1984) and Daniel Wolken (1997), both of whom worked for The Blood-Horse.
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.
Year Recipient
1956 Charles D. Nord
1957 Thomas E. Templin
1958 Larry G. Daughtrey
1959 Roy Blount Jr.
1960 Saxon Kim Chapin
1961 Thomas D. Quinn
1962 Robert E. Theil
1963 Richard S. Osborne
1964 Leonard Goldstein
1965 Michael Kiernan
1966 William Livingston
1967 Barry M. Morris
1968 Dennis P. McAuliffe
1969 David R. Rapp
1970 Skip Bayless
1971 John I. Bloom
1972 Irving Muchnik
1973 Kevin E. Cuneo
1974 Kevin McDonald
1975 David Brooks
1976 Michael L. Jackson
1977 Edward O. Wilson
1978 Charles C. Euchner
1979 Kenneth C. Ray
1980 Zachary V. Wenger
1980 Andrew Byer
1981 Charles R. Bush
1982 Mike Cornwell
1983 Tena Bozicevic Herlihy
1984 Thomas J. Wilson
1984 Chuck Manson
1985 Paul J. Richman
1986 Michael Holmes
1987 David Sheinin
1988 Andrew Maraniss
1989 Mitchell Light
1990 Clay Hensley
1991 Matthew O’Keefe
1992 Andrew M. Derr
1993 Tyler Kepner
1994 Allan L. Owen
1995 Lee Jenkins
1996 Not Awarded
1997 Daniel J. Wolken
1998 Samuel H. Heide
1999 Jeffrey D. Lowe
2000 Matthew James Meenan
2001 Robert Craig Murray III
2002 Byron Patrick Dubow
2003 Matthew Collins McDavid
2004 Christopher F. Callaway
2005 Not Awarded
2006 Not Awarded
2007 David A. Namm
2008 Meghan Rose
2009 Eric Single
2010 Jack Kuhlenschmidt
2010 Jackson Martin
2011 Matthew Citak
2011 Anthony Tripodoro
2012 Adam Birnbaum
2012 Nathaniel Heagney
2012 Benjamin Weinrib
FREE! E-Newsletters from The Blood-Horse!...
Follow the top stories of major racing events, racing previews and results with FREE e-newsletters from bloodhorse.com. As news develops, we'll deliver updates to your inbox. Follow important events moment by moment, step by step!