NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At its sixth annual induction ceremony, Tennessee-based Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame inducted seven new members, including well-known bass angling and industry personalities Larry Nixon, Pam Martin-Wells and Tommy Akin.
Held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, in Nashville on August 17, 2007 before a crowd of just under 300, the evening began with country music entertainment and remarks from founder Garry Mason and guest speaker Hank Parker. It concluded with the presentation of awards to the inductees.
This is the fourth hall of fame to recognize Nixon's accomplishments. Winner of the 1983 Bassmaster Classic and a two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, he is also a member of the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame.
"I consider it a great privilege," Nixon said. "[Gary Mason] said I was selected because of my fishing record and promotional activities. I'm proud of my tournament record but promoting the outdoors is more important."
Martin-Wells took top honors at the 2007 Women's Bassmaster Tour Championship held on Lake Mitchell, February 22-24, 2007.
"To be honored in this way is awesome. I'm here and still can't believe it," said Martin-Wells. "I've always considered myself just a country girl from Georgia who likes to fish and hunt. This is one of the greatest things I've experienced in the world of fishing. It's wonderful."
Tommy Akin didn't earn his way into the Hall by catching fish. He secured his spot by laboring behind the scenes. His specialty is linking companies and professional anglers with writers and photographers. The result is very effective marketing and publicity.
"I really don't know why I'm here. I never caught a lot of fish or won a big tournament," Akin said "I'm excited about it though. My family's here with a group of my friends. Nothing this big has ever happened to me before."
Nixon, Martin-Wells and Akin join Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Ray Scott, Billy Westmoreland, Shaw Grigsby, Hank Parker, Jack Wingate and others on the membership roll of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.