Rice was an American sports writer who was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on November 1, 1880.
A famed writer in his day, he was the man who dubbed the 1924 Notre Dame backfield, "The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame."
Rice's writing style was poetically heroic, where athletes became larger than life figures.
During his lifetime, Rice was known as the dean of American Sports writers and he had a profound effect on the craft of sports journalism.
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.
Grantland Rice died on July 14, 1954, remembered as the leading journalist of the Golden Age of Sports.
1910 version
Game Called.
Across the field of play
the dusk has come, the hour is late.
The fight is done and lost or won,
...
'THERE are roads that lead through valleys where the
grass is soft and green ;
There are lanes that lead through morning where the
friendly maples lean;
...
GOOD Luck is like a down hill tide
That helps to make an easy start,
Where one may paddle, drift or glide
Without much effort on his part;
...
WHERE the puddle is shallow, the weakfish stay
To drift along with the current's flow ;
To take the tide as it moves each day
With the idle ripples that come and go ;
...
Back in the Vanished Country
There's a cabin in the lane,
Across the yellow sunshine
And the silver of the rain;
...