2024 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Highlights
For the past several years, I have consistently looked forward to attending the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction banquet in Springfield, Missouri. This year I was extra-excited, because after a year where there was more controversy and dissension than I can ever recall, I knew that this night would help me remember why I care so deeply about this sport and about this industry. It’s the one night when everyone gets together – it doesn’t matter if you’re BASS or MLF, old or young, an angler, member of the industry or a fan – and celebrates the sport. I don’t think I heard the term “FFS” even once.
My 2024 Induction Ceremony Highlights
I’m hesitant to pick out a few moments or people for specific honors, as it might leave the impression that seeing others wasn’t quite that important. That’s definitely not the case – but when I think back on September 26, 2024, the following three people will stand out:
OT Fears – OT was one of the first pros I ever met, and was extremely helpful early in my writing career. I’d invited him before, but it wasn’t until he heard that Alfred Williams would be inducted that he agreed to attend. The highlight within the highlight was introducing him to Brandon Palaniuk, and Brandon stating that he’d “worn out a couple of VHS tapes” as a kid watching OT’s exploits.
Alfred Williams – This induction was long overdue for a number of reasons, and while I supported it from the jump, the moment proved to be bigger than I expected. His acceptance speech was poignant, and Hanna and I loved spending time with his family at the “tailgate party” the night before.
Mark Zona – I think I first interviewed Zona around 2005 or 2006 and even after he became one of the sport’s biggest stars, he was always beyond encouraging. On several occasions, I wrote something that I thought no one would read and Zona would text with a pithy comment or a thanks. He and his wife Karin are Hall of Fame people, even without the fishing part of things.
A Word for the Naysayers
A number of interested parties have criticized the Hall of Fame and its Board of Directors for alleged bad choices, imperfect processes and perceived cronyism. That’s OK. Healthy skepticism and constructive criticism are always welcome. In fact, from my few years on the Board, I’ve seen monster efforts put into the post-mortem of each year’s banquet to ensure that the subsequent iterations will be better.
I stress, however, that this is a working Board and an all-volunteer Board. Everyone on it spends money out of their own pocket and time they could use for other things to be in Springfield – and to contribute throughout the year. On Wednesday, Kevin VanDam and Brandon Palaniuk were in the conference center for many hours working on the auction displays and cleaning up. On Friday, when many banquet attendees were either nursing hangovers or heading home, people including Kathy Fennel and Bruce Stanton were back in the room, helping to pack up the items for shipment to the winning bidders. Dave Mercer is extremely generous with his time and talent, too. Throughout his career, BFHOF President John Mazurkiewicz has served on numerous boards and committees aimed at bettering the sport and our natural resources. As far as I know, the most vocal critics – who generally agree that there should be a Hall of Fame in some form – have not endeavored to start their own Hall, or to offer their services to the current one. My bottom line is that I’ll always support the “man in the arena” over the mere critic. As Sam Rayburn said: “Any jackass can kick down a barn. It takes a carpenter to build one.”
The biggest problem in the sport, in my opinion, is not any single piece of technology or any other seemingly major dispute, but rather clashes of unyielding egos. During a week when we were celebrating some very big personalities, the most impressive and memorable aspect to me was the way in which people endeavored to selflessly push their egos aside for the benefit of the bigger picture.
