Thomas McGrath, a graduate of The Hopkins School in New Haven., was selected from a near-record 174 applicants for this year’s scholarship in the amount of $20,000 per year for four years each at Vanderbilt. 

 

McGrath was actively involved in his school’s newspaper, The Razor, serving as assistant entertainment editor and assistant sports editor. He served as Director of Content for the Crispus Attucks Clothing and Lifestyle Blog, writing and shaping content for the summer lifestyle blog targeting students at the country’s top colleges and prep schools. He has been a volunteer at the Connecticut Food Bank and also founded Captain’s Practice, LLC, a service that provided local families with an alternative to higher-priced private sports lessons and academic tutoring.

 

He was point guard for four years on his school’s basketball team and was named captain of the varsity squad as a senior. He also was second baseman on the baseball team, which recently won its league’s regular season and tournament titles.

 

            Named in honor of two legendary sports writing alumni of Vanderbilt,  alumni Grantland Rice and Fred Russell, two of the greatest sports writers of all time.  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.