[Fred Russell at His Typewriter at the Nashville Banner]

Fred Russell stopped practicing law in 1929 to work for The Nashville Banner. He first was assigned to the police beat and then in September 1929 was assigned to cover Vanderbilt Football, succeeding Ralph McGill, who had moved to The Atlanta Constitution. Russell covered the inaugural and then over 40 Masters golf tournaments in Augusta, Georgia, and was a friend of Bobby Jones and the other golf pioneers of the day. He covered major championship boxing and was a friend and contemporary of Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.