June 7, 2012
Life of Dreams is the first complete biography of Vanderbilt’s own Fred Russell, one of the all-time stars in sports journalism. Russell was the legendary sports editor of the Nashville Banner for more than 60 years and remained with that paper loyally until it folded in 1998. He was regarded as the best of the best and other Hall of Fame sports legends knew it – from Golden Age champions such as Jack Dempsey and Bobby Jones to coaches such as Bear Bryant and Lou Holtz to gifted athletes such as Wilma Rudolph and Peyton Manning. Russell had a unique and engaging personality and was one of the all-time great practical jokers, and having attended Vanderbilt himself in the 1920s, Russell held a special place in his heart for his beloved Commodores.
His story has been fittingly documented in a terrific new book from Mercer University Press, entitled “Life of Dreams: The Good Times of Sportswriter Fred Russell,” appropriately written by Vanderbilt graduate and Russell-Rice scholarship recipient Andrew Derr, who attended school here in Nashville in the early 1990s. A part-time freelance journalist, Derr interviewed more than 100 coaches, athletes, journalists and others as part of his research for the biography. With its collection of humorous stories, insight into the fierce competition between the Banner and The Tennessean, and Russell’s love for sports and journalism, the book is a guaranteed page-turner for sports fans in general and Vanderbilt fans in particular.
On Friday, June 15th, Derr will be in Nashville, conducting a book reading and signing at the Vanderbilt Barnes & Noble on West End Avenue. The event runs from 6-8 p.m., is free to the public and promises to be a fun walk down Memory Lane.
